Shadows of Sunshine
by StormyAngel12
Summary: Alternate POV recursive fanfiction for Silver Queen's "Dreaming of Sunshine". Shikako Nara will fight to change the fate of those she cherishes, to keep them safe, but she may not always realize how deeply her actions affect those around her.
1. A Reason to Stay

This got stuck in my head one day as I was re-reading Dreaming of Sunshine by Silver Queen. If you haven't read that yet, this will make no sense to you. Even if you never read this though, you should definitely read Dreaming of Sunshine, literally one of the best Naruto fanfiction pieces that I have ever read.

Summary: Sasuke has always wanted revenge for his clan, but lately...he's been noticing a change. When Orochimaru's cronies invite him to leave the village, does he have a reason to stay?

Uchiha Sasuke's POV of DOS Chapter 57 with flashbacks ALA Elelith's Sunshine and Stormclouds.

Disclaimer: I own nothing here, neither Naruto nor Shikako nor Sasuke.

* * *

 **A Reason to Stay**

Sasuke can't identify the moment, let alone the day, when his priorities began to change. He only knows that they have, somehow, without him even noticing. It couldn't have been more obvious to him that he was changing than it was when four enemy ninja surprised him alone in the training field. He feels a thrill of fear as his life is threatened _yet again_ , but also a small burst of gratitude.

At least he's alone this time.

"Who are you?" He demands, stalling for time. He is hopelessly outnumbered, and they're obviously not just infiltrators. Infiltrators don't reveal themselves and assault a ninja in his own village. Even worse, after those first blows Sasuke can tell that this is not a fight he can win. Even with Naruto and Shikako backing him up he's not sure they could win. The smirk the enemies share on their faces tells him that they know it too.

Fortunately, any Shinobi worth his salt fights with more than his muscles (also known as Plan A). Sasuke instinctively reacts as trained. _Time for plan B: Gather intel and stall for backup._ Sasuke calmly activates his Sharingan.

"We are the Sound Four," the one with six arms replies, gesturing to each of the four in turn. "Kidomaru, Sakon, Tayuya, and Jiroubou. Orochimaru-sama sent us to you with an offer." Sasuke's mental calculations shift gears with the new information, but he cannot help the cold thrill of fear that runs down his spine at that name. It's matched almost immediately by the fury-fueled irritation he usually feels at the Snake Sannin. He has had a hard enough time already without this ridiculously powerful missing-nin constantly dogging his heels.

"I don't care what he has to say." Sasuke replies firmly, testing their reactions. "Tell him I want nothing to do with him."

"Not even if he can help you in your quest for vengeance?" The silver haired one, Sakon, queries pointedly. "If you remain in this village, you will never become strong. Every day, you're slowly decaying. Spend enough time here, and you'll forget all about Uchiha Itachi. Orochimaru will give you power."

For the first time, Sasuke starts to feel real doubt. He had felt overwhelmed and surprised by their appearance, but he had known where he stood. Their offer though...well, Sasuke is hard pressed to deny that it is tempting.

 _Itachi._ He had thought he was making progress, but then he had been powerless as his brother practically tore his team to pieces right in front of him. All his strength was nothing before _that man._ And hadn't he just realized that somewhere along the way he had begun to lose his hatred? Somehow, he was losing his drive to kill Itachi. He was getting distracted, growing attached. He would never find the power he needed that way.

Unbidden, Shikako's words rise to his memory.

 _It isn't power that's your problem, Sasuke. Power comes easy… it's knowing when and how to use it. You've already seen that, haven't you?" Shikako squeezed his hand. "If you don't use it, it's useless. But if it uses you… that's even worse._

Remembering how it felt to harm his own teammate. He had never felt more ashamed, powerless even, than at that moment. Somehow, the words she spoke fit his situation even better now than they did then, although there was no way Shikako could have known he would face this choice. Orochimaru was offering Sasuke power, but at a price. Sasuke could see the strings, and if Orochimaru thought he was going to be so easily manipulated then he was sorely mistaken.

"I can find my own power." Sasuke replies, ignoring the doubt he still feels. He knows that they can just take him by force if they choose to, but there must be some reason that they haven't already. Perhaps their orders were very specific, and he might be able to lead them on... _Time for plan C: Play to their expectations._

"Not if you die," Tayuya says with a snort. She pulls down her collar slightly to reveal a very familiar seal, although the configuration looks slightly different. "Your Heaven Seal is unstable. Incomplete. Without Orochimaru's help, it will kill you."

The uneasiness that crosses his face must be plainly visible. All four of them grin as they see that he believes them. Their obvious pleasure disgruntles Sasuke, and despite the precarious situation he allows his anger to get the better of him.

"Of course," Sasuke says dryly. "The snake is a madman who plants time bombs on his subordinates. Surely _he'll_ make me stronger."

Kidomaru takes a step forward in anger speaking rapidly, "Orochimaru has given you a gift! You ungrateful-"

Abruptly, he is cut off by Sakon, who restrains him with one arm while giving Sasuke a contemplative look.

"Kidomaru. Orochimaru was very clear. Sasuke will come with us of his own free will." Sasuke tries to hide it, but some of his relief at that shows in the incremental release of tension he feels. Of course, it could just be a lie to trick him into letting down his guard. _Alternatively,_ Sasuke thinks. _I could use it to help along their belief that I've come around to the idea..._ Sasuke falls out of his stance and loosens his shoulders. It's worth more to him as a conversational gambit than in combat right now, since he would definitely lose anyway.

There is a moment of silence as the sound four take stock of the situation. _Now_ , Sasuke thinks.

"What exactly is Orochimaru offering?" He asks, and the reluctant curiosity in his voice isn't even all feigned. Sakon is too good to give himself away, but the grin on Tayuya's sharp face looks like a victory dance to Sasuke's eyes.

"Personal training," Sakon replies. "Hidden techniques, medical enhancements, access to all of his resources to grow strong enough to achieve your revenge."

"Sounds too good to be true." Sasuke replies, amused at how ridiculously one-sided the offer seems. "What's the catch?"

"Orochimaru is the strongest shinobi in the elemental nations." Sakon replies. "He has no need for anything you could give him, but he is always seeking to expand his knowledge and expertise. You have caught his interest and he wants to see how far you can go. Personally, I don't see the point."

Ignoring the barb, Sasuke continues to play the role he hopes can get him out of this mess. "And what if he loses interest." A snort from Kidomaru draws everyone's gaze. Noticing the looks the other three Oto-nin are giving him, Kidomaru shrugs.

"Like that would happen."

Another silence descends on the five of them. This time Sasuke waits, carefully arranging his face to express a mixture of curiosity and rigidness. His enemies would likely interpret that as him trying to restrain either fear, or his curiosity, or both. Trying to fool ninja with a facial expression was ludicrous on too many levels, but he needs every advantage he can get, no matter how uncertain.

"Think it over." Sakon says abruptly. Sasuke meets the enemy shinobi's eyes, gritting his teeth. Fighting to look genuine he nods. Sakon smiles slowly.

" _If_ I was to agree to this, what should I do?" He asks, as if he were stopping Sakon from jumping to any conclusions.

"You need to leave the village tonight. We will escort you to Orochimaru." Again a pause, but this time Sasuke can tell he has them fooled, as the tension is bleeding out of the air. Again, he nods to Sakon, more firmly this time.

Apparently, Sakon feels like that is a satisfactory answer as he half turns away, and the other three sense the signal to leave. Before they do though, Sakon delivers his parting words, "You know this is your best chance, boy. Don't make us wait too long."

"How will I find you?" Sasuke asks, more to cover his relief that they are leaving than for any other reason. Or so he tells himself.

"Simply leave the village. _We_ will find _you_." And with that, they are gone. Sasuke waits for half an hour before he truly relaxes, but when he does he finds himself trembling from the shock and tension and collapses against a tree as he considers the choice that has been laid before him.

While he had been playing the part of cooperating in order to escape capture, now that the danger has passed, Sasuke suddenly feels uncertain.

He remembers the day he swore to avenge his family and his clan, slain through betrayal. It was the day he had said goodbye to the brother he thought he knew and instead replaced him with the monster he was. He had felt a hatred strong enough to burn down forests. That hatred had swiftly consumed him, driving him to push forward in ways that he never would have otherwise. It had driven him to the top of his class. He had pushed away all distractions and sworn that nothing would get in his way.

If he had found himself facing this choice on that day, he knew that he would have accepted Orochimaru's offer in a heartbeat. So what had changed? With a sigh, Sasuke realized that the answer was obvious.

Team Seven.

When he had found himself on a team with Naruto of all people, that hopeless buffoon, and Shikako, the painfully shy girl who quailed before any true confrontation, he had given up hope that he would find any assistance on his team.

And yet, Sasuke had been surprised by the amount that they pushed him to grow. Shikako was inexplicably just as driven as he was. She seemed to have a core of steel that matched his own determination. And despite how annoying he could sometimes be, Naruto's surprising depth rounded out their team in ways he never would have predicted. They had both opened Sasuke's eyes in ways he hadn't thought possible. For a time, he had thought that perhaps he could allow himself to have...comrades. Maybe even Friends.

Then Itachi had come for Naruto, just as Sasuke had allowed himself to finally accept that dork as an equal. The terror had cut deep in a hauntingly familiar way, and Sasuke couldn't bear to experience the same loss for a second time.

That day had been a brutal lesson in fear, and had stripped Sasuke of all his delusions. He had never truly comprehended the gap he faced. Itachi hadn't even broken a sweat, and then before Sasuke knew it he was trapped in his grip.

And then he wasn't. Itachi dropped Shikako with surprise which was clearly unfeigned, and Sasuke barely had a moment to comprehend that she had done it _again_ before Jiraiya was there and his brother had fled. Shikako's screams accompanied him all the way home that night, and into his dreams.

Sasuke wasn't surprised in the slightest when Shikamaru came for him. By that point he had already been at the training ground for hours, and had managed to beat his hands bloody against the training post. There had been a moment of silence as each took in the sight of the other. The dark bags beneath both of their eyes. Sasuke's bloody knuckles. The wary look on his face.

"I know what you're thinking," Shikamaru began. "And it's troublesome...but you're wrong." Sasuke let out a mirthless laugh. Shikamaru didn't mean that.

"It's my fault." Sasuke replied bitterly. "I'm the one who insisted on going after Naruto."

"It is your fault." Shikamaru spat back angrily. "But you're not the one who did this to her." Sasuke stilled, his tired eyes burning afresh.

"Itachi." He breathed. Shikamaru pinned him with a fierce glare, and after a few moments looked away, apparently satisfied with what he saw there.

"I need information," Shikamaru said, and it was obvious that Sasuke owed him that much. "So talk."

The events of the following month had been a revelation. Shikamaru had put it best when he said that it was Sasuke's fault yet also made it clear that he didn't blame him. Slowly, one by one, everyone had paid Sasuke a visit for the same purpose. They wanted information on Itachi.

At first, Sasuke had found them all annoying, and he went to extra lengths to avoid them. But as more and more of the people he had come to know and rely on after graduation made it clear that Itachi was on their radar now, he felt a peculiar lightening of his burden. For the longest time, Itachi had been Sasuke's monster. His to prepare for and kill. Now, suddenly, he wasn't alone.

Some didn't have much to add. They were all genin just like Sasuke, and none of them were stronger than him. Nobody could promise him anything. Even so, Shino's blunt promise of assistance _meant something_. When Kiba wanted to get a sample of Itachi's scent, and Chouji gave Sasuke a silent nod, he knew what they were saying. Even Hinata asked for a description, and Ino's usually annoying babble became pointed questions that were clearly an attempt to build a psych profile.

Even going on missions with Gai-sensei and Tenten and _the Hyuuga_ , Sasuke could still feel their support. (Gai-sensei seemed to express that by holding back his usual exuberance more around Sasuke, but he appreciated that just as much as the rest.)

As Shikako's coma drew on, Sasuke had at first feared that she wouldn't wake, but with every passing day he began to fear that she would, and would want nothing to do with him. As those who he had held at arm's length supported him, he realized just how much he needed those he had let even closer.

Tsunade's return heralded the rebirth of Team Seven, with Kakashi-sensei and Shikako woken up and Naruto back from his trip. Sasuke ran to the hospital to see for himself that Shikako was truly awake, but in his heart he wasn't sure if he was ready to face her.

She was…not _fine_ , clearly not fine, but better than he had feared. Sasuke babbled through inanities as he tried to think of what to say. Of how to tell her, that he was _sorry_. That she shouldn't have been hurt. That it should have been him.

Finally it just spilled out of him.

"I'm sorry." He said while looking out the window, shoulders tense.

"I- what?" Shikako replied. Did she not hear him?

"I'm sorry," He repeated. "I- that's _twice_ you've gotten hurt pulling me out of danger. It _shouldn't have happened_. I should be better than this."

"No, no, Sasuke. It's not your fault," Shikako said hastily. Sasuke heard her sliding out of her bed, moving towards him. And she was moving to comfort _him_? Did she really just say- "It's okay."

"It's not okay," Sasuke snapped. He was trembling. _Shikako_ was saying it _wasn't his fault_? No one else the entire month had disagreed with him about that. But Shikako did? "Don't say that. I heard you. You were screaming like… like… They knocked you out and you _still kept screaming_. Don't even try to tell me it's okay." How could he get her to _understand_.

Shikako looked a little nonplussed, a wry smile touching her lips.

"It's still not your fault."

Sasuke sneered in his frustration. "Oh, so you were saving someone else from getting attacked?"

"I used the jutsu," Shikako replied firmly, unfazed by Sasuke's anger. "I used the jutsu and I _don't regret it_." She placed extra emphasis on that sentence, and Sasuke was speechless.

"And you know what?" She continued. "I'd do it again. Because it would have been worse to watch you go through that. I would willingly put myself between you and danger, no matter what."

Shikako didn't seem to care that with every word she was breaking the walls Sasuke had put up to keep everyone out. The walls he had spent so long working on the last month, even as he had felt more appreciation for his fellow ninja than he ever had before. He felt the last of his resistance go, and he faded from anger to exhaustion. The exhaustion he hadn't let himself feel for weeks, which had pressed down on him through it all.

"You shouldn't." Sasuke responded, shoulders slumping. "You'll get hurt."

"So could you," Shikako replied. As if it wasn't completely different. "You went to warn Naruto because you couldn't stand him getting hurt and I went with you because I couldn't stand _either_ of you getting hurt."

Sasuke flexed his hands at this affirmation of Shikako's regard. "I don't want either of you to get hurt either. I was trying to help Naruto and you got hurt. It wasn't… it wasn't meant to be like that." The unfairness of it all, the injustice that Sasuke couldn't seem to beat, passed between them unspoken.

"I know," Shikako responded gently. Like he was the one who was infirm. Like he had been in a coma for a month.

"Next time…" He began a desperate, last-ditch plea. "I'll go alone. Then you won't get hurt." It was the perfect solution, except that even as he spoke Sasuke didn't know if he truly meant it…or if he just wanted to hear her deny him that separation. If he needed to hear her give voice to her own preference.

"We're not going to let you just push us away, Sasuke." Shikako replied, faintly annoyed.

"He's just going to come back," Sasuke said, a mixture of emotions on his face. Didn't she get it? "I have to kill him. Or he's just going to keep coming _back_."

 _And destroying everything I have,_ Sasuke thought but did not say. There was a short silence as Shikako was clearly reassessing. Sasuke thought that maybe she would get it this time.

"I'm just not strong enough." He said, finally admitting it. Letting that last barrier fall. In response Shikako slipped her arms around his waist.

"We'll train," She promised. "And we'll be ready next time." And that was that. It shouldn't have made a difference, but on top of everything else...it was enough.

It had been weeks since that day, they had trained and grown stronger. But Sasuke was torn.

Sasuke despised everything about Orochimaru. The madman was nothing but evil, had betrayed those who trusted him and clearly cared only for himself. He was obsessed with testing the limits in a way that reminded him faintly of Itachi. But at the same time, he was the strongest of the Sannin, the legendary three ninja who stood at the pinnacle of Konoha's strong. If anyone could make Sasuke stronger, it would be him.

Six months ago, that would have been enough.

Now though, Sasuke felt no desire to go. Now with the tension of their presence gone, he knew that the Sound Four were right, and this was a very rare opportunity. But his time on Team Seven had taught him that there was more to strength than power. Sasuke wanted both, but not at the cost of either.

Yet, if he didn't go with them, he might die due to the cursed seal. Then he would never get to avenge his clan, or even protect his friends. He was trapped.

He spent several hours contemplating the choice before him, idly toying with a kunai while he thought, when he heard a voice he had half been expecting.

"Sasuke," Shikako said, sounding oddly relieved. A look of concern crossed her face as she peered at his battered state.

Sasuke looked up. "Shikako? What are you doing here?" Sasuke was certain that there was no way she could know of what had happened, so he was a little confused as to why she would be looking for him.

"You missed dinner," She explained. "We were worried."

"Oh." Sasuke looked around, feeling like an idiot, then ran a hand through his hair. "It's later than I thought, I guess. Sorry."

"What happened?" She asked. Sasuke hesitated. "You're hurt." She sounded strangely suspicious. Sasuke wasn't sure he wanted to talk about it so he looked away.

"It's nothing." Sasuke couldn't talk to Shikako about this. She was one of the reasons he wanted to stay, one of his precious people. Those rare few who had stepped into the gaps he had felt ever since that day he lost his whole family. For the same reason, she was one of the people who would be safer if he were to leave.

"It's not nothing!" She said, voice uncharacteristically sharp. Sasuke stared at her with wide eyes as she took a deep breath, visibly restraining herself. Maybe she did know something after all?

"Please, Sasuke. Tell me what happened." The plea in her voice reminded him of that day, in the hospital, when he had decided that he would trust and rely on his teammates. Sasuke looked away, working out how best to tell her.

"There were these ninja…" he began. "They said. They said they were from Orochimaru. They called themselves the Sound Four." He swallowed just thinking about it, reminded of the terror he felt upon finding himself surrounded with no warning.

"Here?" She croaked in surprise. "In the village?" Sasuke was amazed that she connected those dots so quickly, but he shouldn't have been. Shikako had always been quick to make connections.

Sasuke nodded. "They wanted me to go with them," he confessed quietly. Sasuke very carefully didn't mention that it was still an option.

"You didn't," She said. "You didn't go with them." She almost sounded like she wanted him to confirm the fact. Like she was worried that he might be considering it.

Sasuke reached his hand up and curled it over the mark on his neck. He thought of the things Orochimaru had done to his team on the day he received the burden. In front of him Shikako was very clearly panicking over his silence. He knew that she of all of his friends would understand why this was something he was considering.

"'If you remain in this village,'" he quoted to her. "'You will never become strong. Every day, you're slowly decaying. Spend enough time here, and you'll forget all about Uchiha Itachi. Orochimaru will give you power.'" There was a brief silence as he quoted the words back to her, the ones that had driven the deepest.

"They're wrong," Shikako said with a conviction that told Sasuke that even as she understood, she did not agree. "You won't forget about him. We're the reason you want to kill Itachi. You think… you think I don't want him dead too? You think I don't want to stop dreaming about-" She cut herself off. The emotion in her voice reminded Sasuke of what she had seen. He had never asked, but that was only because he didn't need to. Itachi would only have wanted to show Sasuke one thing.

Meanwhile Shikako's voice was rising. "Orochimaru came from Konoha. That's what made him strong. Itachi became strong here. Jiraiya. Tsunade. Sensei."

Sasuke couldn't think of anything to say. She was right, and she was wrong. None of that mattered though. What mattered was that Sasuke had changed. He wanted to be strong…but he wanted that strength for the sake of his friends. Sasuke needed the strength to protect his comrades. His thirst for vengeance had slowly been quenched by what he had found in its place. Where before he had had no reason to stay, now he did.

"He can't offer you anything, Sasuke." Shikako continued, echoing his thoughts. "And he wouldn't, even if he could. The only person that Orochimaru looks out for is Orochimaru. Everyone else is a tool."

"I know," he admitted softly. But there was one further sticking point she needed to be aware of. "They said the cursed seal was killing me."

Shikako grimaced. Apparently she believed them too.

"You don't use it though," She said. "And Tsunade is the best medic-nin in the world. If anyone…" She trailed off. There wasn't much to discuss that way. Neither of them knew enough to _know_ whether or not that problem was fixable.

There was a moment of tense silence, as Sasuke realized that Shikako was _still_ worried he was going to leave. What would she do, he wondered, if he tried. Sasuke felt briefly amused at the fact that he wasn't sure he could get past her.

"You are strong," She said softly, taking another tack. "Look at what we've done since we became Genin. How many A-ranks have we done? How many battles have we fought? How much have you learnt? Sharingan, Chidori… you are growing stronger. We are growing stronger."

Sasuke stared at Shikako. She was right. They were getting stronger. It just took time. And he wasn't sure he could bear to fight his way through by himself anyway. At least with Shikako and Naruto around he was always in for a surprise.

The thought brought a smirk to his face, tired as he felt. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Shikako scoffed weakly, clearly relieved. "You guess." Sasuke was glad to see her joke with him, even that faintly. Shikako had clearly been very scared about what his answer would be.

"What should we do?" he asked, more to reassure her than because he didn't know. Enemy ninja walking freely through the village needed to be reported, and that needed to happen ASAP. Shikako had connections though, being the Jounin Commander's daughter, and would probably be able to determine who to inform first.

Shikako took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "We need to go and see the Hokage."

As they headed over to meet up with the others (apparently Shikako had organized an entire rescue effort when he missed dinner, Sasuke had had no idea she felt so strongly about their little get-togethers) Sasuke couldn't help but feel that he had narrowly avoided something. That some long and dreary fate had almost caught him this night. He shook the premonition off even as he focused on following Shikako. As long as he had his precious people, he knew that he would never be alone. As Shikako had demonstrated, he could only ever lose them by pushing them away. As long as he sought to protect them, he would always have a reason to stay.


	2. A Kindred Spirit

I hadn't intended to write any more, but DoS is really rich with character interactions. I particularly enjoy Tsunade and Shikako's rapport, and I wanted to explore that from the other side.

Summary: When Tsunade returned to Konoha, she had been sure that no one could be more surprising than Naruto. She was beginning to realize that she had failed to account for his teammate and friend, Shikako Nara.

Tsunade's POV of DOS Chapter 98 with flashbacks.

Disclaimer: I own nothing here, neither Naruto nor Shikako nor Tsunade.

* * *

 **A Kindred Spirit**

Paperwork. Tsunade had not been surprised to find piles of the stuff waiting for her when she returned from the Chunin Exams in Hidden Grass. Despite the stress inherent with any venture involving her counterpart Kage, she had been looking forward to the break from the tedious administrative duties that came with the hat. It had only been a few months, and she was just about ready to give the damn thing to Naruto. If only he didn't have so much growing to do.

She had almost stayed away from the Exams, reluctant to leave the work behind for even such a short time, but she had recognized that _not_ going would be a sign of weakness which Konoha could not afford. When the jackals are circling, you never give them an opening.

Then of course, Shikako had almost been dragged into a developing civil war, nearly dying in the process, and Tsunade had suddenly been _very grateful_ that she had decided to go after all. Even if a medic of lesser skill had managed to reach Shikako in time, they would have found her beyond their ability to save. It had taken _all_ of her experience to resuscitate the girl. She could not remember the last time she faced such a challenge.

Tsunade shuddered at the mere thought of how close the Nara girl had come to death. It had not been pleasant to inform Shikaku of what his daughter had suffered right under her nose. Not to mention, setting Shikako's own considerable potential and value aside, Tsunade did _not_ want Naruto to return to find only a long-dead comrade. Especially not his first friend.

His first friend...Tsunade's curiosity had been gratified by the numerous ANBU records of Naruto's early life. The _contents_ of those records were much less gratifying. She had had _words_ with Homura and Koharu about that. She still wondered how her Sensei had missed so much.

The surprise though had been what she learned about Shikako Nara.

Tsunade had observed the way people reacted to Naruto that day when she first returned to the village. Civilians and unfamiliar ninja were wary of him and avoided him when they could, but those who knew him treated him just like they would any other annoying brat. She had assumed that Shikako was the same: someone who had overcome her fear and wariness through the familiarity and close contact that working with Naruto on a team had provided.

After all, the girl clearly valued her team. Her first thought upon awakening from a _month-long_ coma (involving a genjutsu twisted enough to make her scream _after_ she had been knocked out) had been to inquire after them.

The relief in her eyes when she had seen Naruto alive and well had been reassuring to Tsunade. She had been glad to see that Konoha hadn't changed so much as to forsake their commitment to teamwork. Naruto faced an uphill battle with the village's prejudices, but so long as Konoha maintained its usual philosophy then Naruto would always be able to form bonds with his fellow shinobi and kunoichi. Eventually, his stubborn good nature would wear them down, just as he had with her.

Not long after her visit to the hospital that day Tsunade had discovered the records on Naruto. Going through them in the following days, between her meetings with the council and new duties as Hokage, Tsunade had realized that Shikako was _not_ like the other ninja who knew Naruto. The girl was, in fact, unique.

According to the ANBU who had been assigned to watch Naruto at the time (unfortunately deceased), Shikako had treated the jinchuuriki like she did everyone else. She had from the moment they met. The fact that such treatment was _notable_ to the ANBU guard explained why Naruto had immediately latched on to the girl, a behavior which most people would have found off-putting. Tsunade suspected that responsibility for her ignoring that lay more with Shikako than anything else.

A sudden knock at the door interrupted Tsunade's musings, even as her secretary slipped in through the gap and closed it behind her. She sighed, leaning back, recognizing the look on her assistant's face. Someone wanted her to settle an argument. It was surprising really, just how much of her work as Hokage boiled down to that one activity.

"The Sensory and Research Heads to see you, Tsunade-sama." Her secretary said softly. Tsunade frowned at the unusual combination. Usually Tamashiro came to her _alone_ when he had a disagreement with Tsume. She signaled for her secretary to send them in and prepared her Hokage face to greet them.

"What is it?" She barked as they trickled in, Tamashiro in the lead. She had discovered that the _grumpy_ Hokage's subordinates put in a little more effort to solve problems _themselves_ , so she frequently adopted a stern attitude. For good measure she followed her question up with a complaint. "I'd like to go home at some point, too."

"Apologies," Tamashiro replied with a nervous bow. "It's only that-"

He was cut off by the sudden entrance of Shikako Nara, the subject of Tsunade's interrupted musings. Shikako stumbled through the door, held by the back of her jacket like a naughty puppy by Tsume, who was clearly enjoying herself. Tsunade looked at the brand new Chunin, irritated to realize that she had half-expected to see the girl. She kept popping up.

Ever since Naruto left with Jiraiya, Tsunade had come to find that Team Seven's curse did not go with him. Just what her Sensei had been thinking by assigning _Kakashi_ to those three Genin, she had no idea. Whatever strange attraction he bore to constant trouble had somehow become contagious.

Take Sasuke for example. How that boy managed to become such a legend with the patrols despite being _confined to the village_ , she had no idea. But while Sasuke saw his fair share of random surprises, enough that he may have his teammate beat in the _quantity_ of weirdness to surround him, the sheer _scale_ of the messes Shikako was involved in brought her to Tsunade's office, and attention, far more frequently. Tsunade recognized that to have the trouble magnet arrive simultaneously with her Sensory and Research Division Heads could certainly not mean anything good.

"Okay," She replied with a sigh, then repeated, "What is it?"

"I'm signing her into the Sensory Squad," was Tsume's blunt answer. "She's nearly as good as Tonbo."

Tamashiro apparently did not approve, squawking, "She belongs in R&D!" in protest. Then: "We claimed her first!"

The two heads started talking over one another in their determination not to be beaten. Tsunade could tell that they cared about beating the other almost as much as they wanted Shikako in their division. Their squabble made it impractical to pick apart their reasoning, although Tsunade could if she wanted to. She rarely found it to be worth the trouble though.

Tsunade's mood soured even further when she realized that they had interrupted her work over a mere _administrative_ dispute. The fact that Shikako hadn't somehow managed to pull anything in the _one day_ since they returned was almost refreshing, but it was not enough to overpower her distaste for the foolishness on display.

Shikako was an exceptional kunoichi with skill in many arenas, but Tamashiro seemed to be ignoring the fact that she was a _field ninja_ , and Tsunade knew from her discussions with the girl's father that she had not had to be. Something about the girl _insisting_ on going to the Academy. Tsunade had quickly seen that Shikako only insisted on things that she considered important.

It seemed that they hadn't even consulted Shikako herself, and Tsunade doubted the Chunin had spoken up. For all her audacity, the girl was peculiarly timid about some things.

"Enough!" She yelled as she abruptly leaned forward, her patience at an end. "For pity's sake, Nara, just pick one."

Tsume jumped right in as if she had been waiting for it, which she likely had been, and she smoothed Shikako's collar out. "We're prepared to offer you a Special Jounin position."

Shikako's face gave away her surprise. Tamashiro spluttered and Tsunade had to smother a grin when he looked towards her. Tsume was a little blunt sometimes, but her appreciation for subtlety made her one of Tsunade's best division heads. The Inuzuka had carefully crafted a reputation as stubborn, so everyone _expected_ her to act like she thought she was unstoppable. Then she pulled something like this out of her sleeve.

"Thank you, Tsume-sama." Shikako replied, jumping at the chance as Tsunade had expected. "I'd be honored to become part of the Sensory Squad."

Then, because the girl was smart, she turned to smoothing ruffled feathers. Tamashiro's, to be exact.

"Thank you, sir, but I'm already a part of the Nara R&D. It would be a conflict of interest." Tsunade leaned back again, glad to have a competent subordinate taking care of things for once. Tamashiro grumbled, since several Nara personnel were involved in both R&D, but it wasn't her excuse so much as the fact that she had shown him respect that made his loss bearable. If Tsunade was lucky enough, she wouldn't have to put up with any more trouble because of this incident. Tamashiro excused himself with a respectful nod to Tsunade, although he was clearly still annoyed at his loss if the glare he gave Tsume was anything to go by.

"Congratulations," Tsunade offered dryly. "That might be one of the fastest promotion turnarounds I've seen." Shikako bowed in response.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama." Then as she stood straight once again she seemed to grow nervous in a way she hadn't been before. "Uhm. Could I have a word with you?"

Tsunade, chagrined, waved Tsume off. She had assumed that there were to be no more surprises, but it seemed that the Nara girl had something more up her sleeve.

Quite literally, apparently, as a moment after Tsunade had leaned back, the new Special Jounin began to roll-up the sleeve of her jacket.

"Uhm. It's a storage seal." Shikako said, tilting her arm so that Tsunade could see it. Feeling slightly impressed, as sealing onto one's own body wasn't exactly _easy_ , Tsunade nodded for Shikako to continue. As the girl unsealed a file, she felt a spark of curiosity. What could the girl have that was important enough to seal onto her person?

Tsunade reached forward and opened the file.

She closed it.

"And what," Tsunade queried. "Is this?" The atmosphere in the office changed, as Tsunade's focus sharpened in a way that it had not earlier. Tsunade might have felt surprised, if she hadn't been so busy considering the implications of what she had just read.

The newly promoted Special Jounin, the one who had somehow gotten her hands on a _unredacted_ file with information on the Village Hidden in the Sand's strongest missing-nin, coughed nervously. "Jiraiya-sama," She began, voice wobbling. "Jiraiya-sama was looking into them for Naruto."

"He was," Tsunade agreed, ignoring for the moment the fact that Shikako hadn't answered her _real_ question. There was a more important consideration first. "And where did you get it from?"

"An...informant?" Shikako answered unceratinly, clearly aware that she was currently on thin ice.

Tsunade pulled back a little, rubbing her temples with one hand while she held the file down with the other. A sigh escaped her lips as she considered the information she had recently received in this new light.

"Did you know," She began almost conversationally. "I received a Hawk from Hidden Sand today. They've elected a new Kazekage. Do you know who it might be?" Tsunade glanced over as she spoke to catch the girl's reaction. Shikako didn't seem surprised, although it did seem to be news to the girl.

"Gaara?" the girl offered uncertainly." She seemed unaware of the fact that before the recent Chunin Exams, such an answer would have been preposterous. Gaara was still young, and had technically been a Genin. Jinchuuriki he may be, but he was not yet at a kage's level. Tsunade felt wry amusement at the fact that Shikako's analysis was not wrong, even as the girl ignored all traditional thinking in order to cut straight to the heart of the matter. The truth was that Gaara was the only Hidden Sand Shinobi who could conceivably _become_ a powerful kage. At least at this stage.

Tsunade nodded to confirm Shikako's guess. "Gaara of the Desert is the Fifth Kazekage. So." She paused for emphasis. "I'm not going to ask where you got this. I want to maintain a _small smidgen_ of plausible deniability."

Shikako looked a little sick, apparently considering the ramifications of her actions as Tsunade had intended. The young kunoichi had managed to extract important information from their allies, but her actions simultaneously threatened that very alliance. The knowledge of what he had done would be a severe blow to Hidden Sand's trust in their new Kazekage. If this _ever_ came to light, there would be serious repercussions.

Satisfied that she was understood, Tsunade continued. "But I am going to ask you three questions." She saw the slight tensing of Shikako's shoulders, but pressed on, silently activating a chakra technique that allowed her to listen to the sound of Shikako's heartbeat. "Did you promise anything in return for this information?"

"No," Shikako replied, relief evident. Tsunade felt reasonably confident that she was telling the truth. Which is not to say that she doubted Shikako, but they were both ninja. If Shikako wasn't ok with her allies, let alone her Hokage, being careful every once in a while then she was in the wrong line of business.

It also confirmed that Shikako wasn't dangerously indebted, or likely to be blackmailed. Which led to Tsunade's next question.

"What did you say to _get_ this information." She asked, careful to keep the incredulity out of her voice. Tsunade didn't want to throw off the interrogation by sounding impressed. Especially when she actually _was_ impressed. Shikako swallowed.

"I said," She started, then stopped for a moment, thinking. "I said that it would help Naruto. That he was a threat to Naruto. Specifically because Naruto was a Jinchuuriki."

Tsunade relaxed an inch. So she _had_ given something in return, but it had been information. Tsunade didn't like that Shikako had taken it upon herself to warn their ally in such a roundabout manner, but she knew how the Sand's Jinchuuriki was likely to feel about such information. _He_ at least was no danger to Naruto, and he could hardly ally himself with Akatsuki. Which led to a slightly more pressing issue...

"Have you shown anyone this information?" Tsunade asked. If Shikako had, then someone might start digging into the matter, and Naruto's Jinchuuriki status _was_ an S-class secret, even if it was one the whole village seemed to know. Konoha had managed to keep the knowledge from spreading to other villages for the time being, but that wouldn't last forever.

But more importantly, someone _untrustworthy_ was working behind the scenes in her village, and Tsunade didn't want them to find out that there was a threat to the village Jinchuuriki. Whoever it was might make use of the information in ways she that she would _not_ approve.

To her relief, Shikako shook her head in relief. "No." she replied. "If I couldn't give it to you, I was going to give it to Dad. Or Kakashi-sensei. I thought they would both know?" Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief internally. Shikako was a smart girl, and it appeared that she had taken all the proper precautions.

Somehow, simply by _being friendly_ , Shikako had obtained information from the new Kazekage. Hidden Sand and Konoha were nominally allies, but Shikako had managed to do what negotiations and missives had not. In essence, she had managed to make that alliance _real_.

Tsunade was struck by the thought. How many _Genin_ managed to make such a significant contribution? Even if she had only now been promoted to Special Jounin, she had long since been acting like one.

Why?

Silently cancelling her technique, Tsunade thought about what could have led the kunoichi before her to work so hard.

 _"She fought well," Tsunade had offered. "If she hadn't faced a Jinchuuriki she might very well have won." Shikaku snorted, amused and pleased at the same time. He was clearly conflicted at the news. His eyes took on a darker cast, clearly reflecting on the rumors he had no doubt heard already._

 _"How bad was it?" He asked._

 _"If it had been a lesser medic," Tsunade shook her head. "Well, it taxed my abilities. She would not have survived."_

 _Shikaku closed his eyes, leaning back into his seat. Tsunade sighed, considering something that had been bothering her. The girl was strong for a reason. What was it?_

 _"What drives her?" She asked. The Jounin Commander shook his head wearily._

 _"I don't know." He replied, and there was an aching, soul-weary feeling behind the words. "But I wish I did."_

Now Tsunade felt the desire to know much more keenly. She hadn't known that Shikako was even _aware_ of Akatsuki. Somehow, they had made their way into Shikako's bingo book, and the kunoichi was looking to help.

Tsunade could empathize with that. She had always known what it meant to care for those around you. It was what made the deaths she couldn't prevent so unbearable. Each and every one driving her to learn faster, to study longer, and to train harder. Faced with the horrors of war in her youth, Tsunade had recognized the choice before her. She could cower in fear, or she could make a difference.

Becoming a ninja, learning medical ninjutsu, perfecting her strength technique and founding the medical corps. Even serving as the Godaime Hokage. All of it had merely grown out of that desire Tsunade held, to protect those about her. To make a difference.

As Shikako waited, watching the sun set, Tsunade recognized that the kunoichi was the same. She saw the same refusal to turn away from a threat, and the Hokage knew there was no power that she could bring to bear that would dissuade the young Nara from continuing her efforts.

"If you're going to do this," Tsunade said. "You're going to learn to do it properly." She smiled as she saw the tension draining out of Shikako.

"I'm assigning you to the Intelligence Division for a three month rotation - on top of whatever duties you have for the sensory squad. Maybe it'll keep you out of trouble if you're busy." Shikako bowed.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Her voice fervent. Tsunade was surprised at the kunoichi's gratitude. She ruefully considered that she didn't actually have a problem with Shikako's efforts. As far as Tsunade knew, nothing the kunoichi had done ever worked counter to her Hokage's intentions.

In fact, looking back on the many things she had learned about Shikako, Tsunade saw a similarity not only in determination, but in methods. Everything the kunoichi did served to strengthen Konoha, either by forging bonds between the village's ninja, or by pursuing friendly alliances with those open to it. Tsunade knew that the attitudes of the Kazekage and Mizukage towards Konoha had been influenced at least indirectly by Shikako.

The Nara was more like Tsunade than she had realized. She was surprised to find such a kindred spirit.

"And Hatake said that _Naruto_ was Konoha's most surprising ninja." Tsunade mused aloud, unable to contain her amusement. Shikako grinned.

"I'm not even close, Hokage-sama." She assured her.


	3. A Wake-up Call

Summary: Sakura always dreamed of becoming a ninja. Now she is struggling with an important decision.

A Sakura side story set around DoS Chapter 71

Disclaimer: I own nothing here, neither Naruto nor Shikako nor Sakura.

* * *

 **A Wake-up Call**

Sakura didn't usually go to the market. She was far too busy, and her mother actually seemed to _like_ bargaining with all the vendors. She had wanted to take a break though, and Sakura didn't mind taking a break from her own work, so she had happily accepted the task.

She stopped to consider a stall. She looked at her list.

 _Drat_.

With a sigh, she bought the disgusting things. Vegetables were not exactly one of her favorite foods.

She continued her search, carrying the tomatoes in a bag. There wasn't much traffic, so the market wasn't as loud as it could have been. Fortunately, the market was just loud enough for Sakura's taste. It helped to distract her from her thoughts.

Sakura didn't usually want to be distracted, as she preferred to think things over carefully. Lately though, she'd been stuck in a rut, and had been feeling frustrated. She hated it when her thoughts ran in circles. It meant that she didn't have all of the information she needed. Worse, there was no way to rectify the problem.

She had reached the point where she had to decide between being a field medic or not. The trouble was, she had never been out in the field. Her only combat experience was from training, and she hadn't ever been on any missions. How could she know what it would be like, or if she were suited to it?

Sure, there had been that fight in the hospital lobby. Sakura had been as stunned as anyone else at what happened. It was almost as if her body moved on its own. Was that what combat was like? Even if it was she doubted she could reproduce the victory. Most ninja weren't susceptible to vases.

As if that wasn't enough, it was no easy thing to become a field medic. Most of them worked their way up through the ranks on the combat side first, only later learning medical jutsu. To approach the position from the opposite side, one had to truly excel in combat.

Sakura couldn't think of anything she excelled in _less_ than combat. If she wanted to be a field medic, she would need to work hard to make up for that lack. She would ordinarily have the time to do so, since most medical jutsu took years to learn. Sakura had found that she was actually taking something of a shortcut by volunteering at the hospital. The experience helped her understand the material better, and she was proceeding rapidly through the coursework.

Which meant that if she wanted to take her skills into combat, Sakura would need to start training _now_. She wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to anymore. She wasn't even sure what she could do to grow stronger. Her strength really lay in her "perfect" chakra control, and while that was generally considered a useful trait, Sakura didn't have enough chakra for it to make a significant difference. She still wouldn't be able to spam jutsu in combat like some people would if they only learned control.

No, chakra control was only truly useful for medical jutsu and something like... _Tsunade's strength technique_.

Sakura snorted at the thought. She could imagine someday figuring out how to recreate the technique, but her sparring skills, well...the lack thereof, had been part of the reason Shikako had beat her out as the top kunoichi of their year.

Sakura frowned at the thought. Shikako had also beaten her out by _being smarter_. None of their peers thought of it often because even though the Nara was so obviously smart Shikako never came off as _brainy_ like Sakura had. Shikako had always been quiet and shy, never really speaking up unless she felt like it was important.

Ironically, Shikako was part of the reason Sakura couldn't decide if she wanted to be a field medic. She thought back to the day when Shikako had first suggested it to her.

Sakura's team had failed their new sensei's test, and she had been crushed. After the years of work at the academy, struggling to keep up as a child of civilian parents who didn't understand, to have her dream snatched away because she wasn't _good enough_. Well...she hadn't taken it well.

"But you're supposed to teach us!" Sakura had cried. She could still remember the scornful look in Takahiro-sensei's eyes as they met hers.

"I don't have the time to waste teaching _you._ You're just a silly little girl who wants to play kunoichi." Then he turned his back on her and walked off. "Run along home now."

Sakura had done exactly that. She had rushed into her room, slamming the door shut so that her parent's couldn't hear her cry. She didn't want them to know, as they inevitably would, that they had been right all along. she broke down into tears.

Her parents were kind enough not to bother her that night.

The next day, as she had been dreading, she heard a distant knock on the front door. It _had_ to be her friends, and how could she face them when she had failed? Sakura started to cry again. She heard her mother answer the door, but couldn't quite make out their convesation.

At least, she couldn't until Ino's shouted, "We have to see her! Please Haruno-san!" flew into her room. With tears in her eyes Sakura buried her head in her pillow.

A soft knock at the door brought her head up reflexively, _stupid ninja training_ , so she got a good look of Ino and Shikako's worried faces as the opened the door. They walked in.

"Go away," Sakura muttered, turning her face away from them to hide the tears. It was really too late for that, but she hated to see their worried eyes. She didn't want to talk about it.

Shikako climbed onto the bed and gave her a hug, followed by Ino on the other side. She felt a rush of relief. A part of her had been worried that they would no longer want to be her friends with her. It wouldn't be the same if they had passed and she hadn't. The fact that they were there to see her, and that they wouldn't leave her alone showed that she had been a little foolish to think so. She was grateful.

"What happened, Sakura?"

So she told them, sniffling all the while. She told them what Takahiro-sensei had told her short-lived team. How they were immature and had no noteworthy skills. How they failed.

Neither Ino nor Shikako had seemed terribly surprised. What he said must have been true. They tried to comfort her, but she was disconsolate. There was no hope of achieving her dream now.

"You know," Shikako offered almost hesitantly. "You've got good chakra control. You could make a good medic nin." Sakura Tried to get her tears under control, sniffling.

"...really?" She asked. How was that possible if she couldn't be a ninja in the first place? Shikako nodded.

"The program at the hospital does take academy graduates." She said. "It's a lot of training, and you'll probably have to do hospital work before you're qualified for field work, but medic nins are in high demand."

Sakura hadn't exactly liked the idea, but it had been a way forward. It just wasn't the way forward she had originally had in mind. Eventually, she'd resigned herself to the fact that she didn't have any other options unless she wanted to give up entirely.

So Shikako's idea became Sakura's plan, when she finally got around to giving it a try. She would train as a medic nin as a stepping stone on the path to fulfilling her dream. It didn't even occur to her that she might _not_ move on to field work.

Then she started her new classes, and she _instantly_ felt at home.

Not among the students, many of whom were older than her, but she felt a strong fascination with medical jutsu. They were either perfectly suited to her, or she was talented, but she had taken to them like a fish to water. It had felt good to be _good_ at something again. Sakura had always loved the intellectual part of the Academy, the analyzing and puzzling things apart. Now she studied something that challenged her intellect even more.

After some of the most interesting months of her life she had come to realize that she might just be happy as a simple medic nin, whether or not she did field work. Maybe she could stay in the village and work with medical jutsu.

The more she thought about the idea, the more appealing it was. Especially as she observed the changes in her friends who _did_ see combat, Shikako in particular.

Shikako was _different_. Following their graduation she had almost become a new person. Shy became calm. Quiet became confident. She had fought ninja far above her rank. Team Seven was infamous for their difficult missions, and Shikako was not said to be standing idly by.

It hadn't even been a year, and Sakura's old friend was swiftly gaining a reputation. Shikako was always in the thick of things, fighting enemies few of the other rookies even dreamt of. She inevitably landed in the hospital because of it, but she'd never really _lost_. Somehow it was already being said that Shikako slept in the hospital when her opponents slept in their graves. Shikabane-hime, they called her. A play on her name and heritage.

Shikako hadn't really killed very many of her enemies though. Not when you compared her to the average Chuunin with years of missions and experience. But for a _Rookie Genin_ , her tally was surprising. Even for their year.

Except to Shikako that was, who seemed unaffected by it all. She was the same as always, constantly studying, always working on some project or other. Sakura had always understood that killing was a part of ninja life, but to see her friend act so _indifferent_ to it was...disturbing.

It made her wonder. What could have happened? What had Shikako seen that affected her so much? It had to be the things she had experienced in combat. Somehow, this quiet and shy girl who didn't even have the malice to turn away _Naruto_ _'s_ friendship, had become a hardened and indifferent killer.

If Sakura became a field medic, well...it could happen to her.

"...ra Shikako." Sakura heard faintly from over her shoulder. She paused, her thoughts interrupted as she channeled chakra to her ears by reflex.

"Yeah, that one. Just two minutes ago her brother was complaining that she was injured. She looked fine to me though." The other voice replied with a snort. The two voices carried around the corner, and Sakura growled in frustration as their voices grew indistinct.

Releasing the technique, she made her way towards the hospital. If Shikako had been injured, there was nowhere else Shikamaru would have taken her. Whatever else had happened, Sakura still considered Shikako a friend, and she wanted to know her friend was alright. Worries about how her lifestyle was changing her came second.

When Sakura entered the hospital she took a moment to drop the groceries off in her locker, then made her way up to the waiting room. She was surprised to find that Shikako wasn't there.

With a distracted wave at the receptionist, Sakura slipped her way into the ward where the patients were kept who were just injured enough to require observation. It hadn't sounded like Shikako was badly hurt, so it was a safe bet that she would be there if they had already processed her.

She couldn't find her.

"Excuse me," She said, stepping up to the receptionist again. "Is Nara Shikako here?" The receptionist looked up in surprise, then confusion flitted across her brow.

"Who?"

That was all the answer Sakura needed. If the receptionist didn't remember the name of someone who had only just checked in, then that was because they hadn't checked in. She shook her head with an apologetic smile and slowly made her way to the exit.

Shikamaru had apparently said Shikako was injured. He felt strongly enough about it to make a scene at the gate. Why did he have to make a scene? No, that wasn't important right now. The real question was where would he take her if not to the hospital? Or better yet...who? The answer was obvious, and Sakura felt her heart rate increase. The only person better for treating injured ninja than the hospital was Tsunade-sama, the legendary medic nin.

The only reason to bypass the hospital was if an injury was serious enough to _need_ a legendary medic nin.

Sakura felt a rising panic in her chest as she began to search desperately for Tsunade-sama. The Hokage's schedule wasn't the kind of thing people spread about, but Tsunade's skill as a medic nin made it important for people to know where she might be at any given time. The compromise between security and urgent medical care was for everyone to know _when_ she would be in the hospital, but not _where_ she was in the hospital. The higher up hospital staff would usually know, and they could judge if someone really needed to find her.

Sakura frantically worked her way through several different hospital wards. Her pace drew attention since she was panicking _in a hospital_ , but she ignored it. How badly injured could Shikako be if no one had seen her?

As she spotted an unmistakable flash of golden hair, Sakura stopped on a dime.

"Tsunade-sama!" She gasped, out of breath. "Where's Shikako?"

The Hokage turned towards Sakura, her eyebrow raised at the peculiar demand.

"Shikako?" She asked. "Has her team returned then?" Sakura's eyes bugged out.

"You mean you don't _know_?" Sakura demanded, too worried to watch her tone. The nearby hospital staff looked stunned, but Sakura just ignored them. Tsunade frowned.

"Know what?" She asked briskly, picking up on Sakura's alarm.

"I heard she was injured." Sakura replied, real panic setting in. "Overheard, that is. I came to find her here, but she hasn't been checked in..."

"So you came to find me." Tsunade finished for her, her narrowed eyes the only sign of a growing temper. For a moment Sakura was frightened. Then she realized the Hokage wasn't looking at her at all. Her ire seemed to be focused on some distant figure.

"Follow me," Tsunade ordered- and it was an order- as she led Sakura out of the hospital. In a daze, Sakura complied. They made their way towards the tower, Tsunade somehow managing to hurry without appearing concerned. Sakura couldn't keep the fear off of her face though.

Shikako had been injured enough to need immediate attention, so badly that Shikamaru had taken her straight to the Hokage. Unfortunately, he had just taken her to the wrong place...Sakura shuddered at the thought.

This was the main reason she hesitated to enter combat. Sakura hadn't lost any friends yet, but she _had_ seen some of them injured. Seeing their injuries after the fact was one thing, but being there as it happened would be a thousand times worse. She didn't want to be there to see _any_ of her friends injured.

Shikako though...once again, Shikako was the exceptional one. She kept landing herself in the hospital. The forest of death, the coma, her _hand_. Sakura didn't have to follow her into combat to see her injured. Shikako was reckless with her own life, fighting in every mission to...to...

Sakura paused, falling behind as she considered, for the first time, _why_ Shikako was injured so often. The girl kept throwing herself into combat. Why?

"Sakura," Tsunade barked, without even turning around or slowing down. Sakura jumped, and rushed to catch up. They were almost to the tower.

It was so simple, Sakura had to wonder why she hadn't noticed before. Every time Shikako was injured, she was fighting to save someone. She was injured while protecting her friends.

Shikako hadn't changed at all. Sakura could remember the way that Shikako looked after her friends back in the academy. She had never had the courage to stand up for herself, but she had likewise never backed down when it came to her friends. Following those friends into the world of shinobi, she must have been forced to...adapt, in a way. Shikako had no choice if she wanted to continue doing exactly what she had always done.

 _Shikako hasn't changed_. Sakura thought numbly. _We have._

Sakura hadn't been prepared for the realities of ninja life. Somehow Shikako had been. Memories of the constant studying, the unceasing effort Shikako put into her years at the academy came to Sakura unbidden. It was as if the Shikako they _now_ knew had always been there, merely waiting for the opportunity to act. Somehow, as she moved beyond the academy, Sakura had started to ignore the _reasons_ for Shikako's behavior, focusing solely on the way that behavior had changed.

As they entered the tower, Sakura promised herself that she would try and understand Shikako better. She refused to lose her friend because of some misguided doubt born from ignorance.

No one stopped them as Tsunade stormed up the stairs, although Sakura did notice a ninja off to the side who looked a little alarmed at the Hokage's sudden appearance. Tsunade didn't even slow down as she slammed open the door.

"What is going on here?" Tsunade called firmly. The scene before them was a strange tableau. Three village elders stood by the Hokage's desk observing Naruto, Shikamaru...and Shikako. She was hunched over with her hands clasped tightly to her stomach, gasping, even as Shikamaru felt at her neck.

Sakura had barely a moment to take it all in before Shikamaru's panicked voice rang out.

"She doesn't have a pulse!"

* * *

 **Author's Note** : This would be a cliffhanger if it weren't for DoS Chapter 72. That being said, I had a reason for stopping here. That reason will hopefully become clear in Sakura's second chapter to be released sometime tonight. Feel free to check back later. Or you could...you know...review this and _then_ check back later. Feedback is always nice. :D

 **Post-script** : In DoS Canon, Shikabane-hime is a nickname that results from Ino repeating Shikako's ill-considered joke at the Grass Chunnin exams. It's a reference to the way Shikako works herself to death, sometimes almost literally when she fights to chakra exhaustion/cardiac arrest. It's also a reference to the three or so times she actually _does die_ , technically speaking.

I usually try to keep these snippets canon compliant, but in this one I've decided that while Shikako may _think_ that is where her nickname came from, it actually came from her unusually high kill count as a rookie Genin. Not even Naruto or Sasuke have her matched. I especially like how this origin actually explains the _-hime_ part, since she's the princess of corpses...the ones that she makes. This is the only (intentional at least) change from DoS, and it only _indirectly_ contradicts it. I probably won't make a habit of such things, but I make no promises.


	4. Motivation

Summary: Sakura had a wake up call that day in Tsunade's office. How will she move forward now?

A Sakura side story set around the time of Chapter 84 of DOS. Part Two of A Wake Up Call.

Disclaimer: I own nothing here, neither Naruto nor Shikako nor Sakura.

* * *

 **Motivation**

The sky was still dark when Sakura slipped out the front door of her home. She set a steady pace on her jog to the hospital, exhaling heavy breaths that fogged up the brisk air. Her shift didn't start for another two hours, but she had a different destination in mind. Just south of the hospital, a grove of Konoha's signature trees enclosed a small training ground. One which was primarily used for rehabilitating ninja patients.

The hospital never truly slept, but even ninja weren't allowed to exercise in the dark while _recovering_. The grounds were silent when she arrived, and Sakura took them in with a quick glance. Confident that she was alone, Sakura tugged on the gloves that Shikako had given her and focused on calming her breathing. She fought a rising sense of anticipation.

She had almost figured out Tsunade's strength technique.

Sakura closed her eyes, steadying her breathing and focusing on her chakra. With perfect control, it should be possible. She had gone over the calculations dozens of times, making minor improvements here and there to Shikako's central concept. Her last attempt had ended with a fractured bone in exchange for a dented training post. That definitely hadn't been a success, but it _was_ progress. Unfortunately, it had delayed her efforts for a while and forced her to find some kind of excuse when she showed up at the hospital injured. Now, with her arm fully recovered, Sakura could test out her newest theory.

She released a deep breath as her heartbeat settled, and began her stretches.

That first morning, the morning after Shikako almost _died_ in front of her, Sakura had worked herself hard enough to pull a muscle. Unlike the broken bone, she had been able to fix it herself, which had been a fun and unexpected learning experience, but not one to be repeated. Now she made sure to warm up first. It was more efficient to prevent such occurrences, and she wasn't trying to train her _medical_ jutsu. She needed to be _stronger_.

She couldn't be a field medic otherwise.

Shikako's incident in the Hokage's office was already infamous, but Sakura had been affected far more than she expected. It hadn't felt like anything she had witnessed in the hospital.

After all, Sakura had seen death. The aftermath of Suna's invasion had been hard to miss, and she worked in the central Konoha hospital for _ninja_. Even with Tsunade-sama providing every miracle imaginable, there were always patients beyond their ability to save. Every medic nin saw patients die, even mere assistants like Sakura. Shouldn't she be used to it?

And yet, this particular trauma had delivered a stronger impact. It was like a punch to the gut, coming out of nowhere and stealing her breath away. Sakura hardly even have to wonder why before she knew the answer. It was obvious when she stopped to think about it.

Shikako was her _friend_.

Sakura could still remember the wide-eyed look on Shikako's face when she collapsed. It was a panic mimicked almost perfectly on her brother's face, eerily tinged green by the light of Tsunade's chakra. Naruto's helplessness, the elders' consternation, Tsunade's fury. The more Sakura thought about it all, the more terrified she felt.

That terror had even followed her into her dreams. Sakura would open a door to find Shikako lying in a pool of blood, a sword through her chest. Or Shikako would be collapsing in cardiac arrest, and Sakura couldn't find Tsunade-sama anywhere. The sheer anguish of it all had forced her awake, and for the first time in years she had felt the urgent _need_ to train.

So she had, and her taijutsu exercises were surprisingly helpful. Sakura could lose herself in them, letting the repetitive motions soothe her troubled thoughts.

With her only rest interrupted by nightmares, Sakura desperately needed some reassurance, and so she had taken Shikako some lunch. Pushing Shikako to join her out in the courtyard Sakura was relieved to see that Shikako was up for it. That the central figure of her nightmares was capable of the exertion helped to ease some of her worries. Her plans for a relaxing lunch were quickly interrupted however.

"I thought she was dead," a voice whispered somewhere nearby. "Critical chakra exhaustion, right?"

"Migaki-sensei said she was basically a corpse already- that even Tsunade-sama couldn't save her. But he said that last time as well. You remember that big mission where all the clan kids got hurt, a few weeks ago? I was on shift then, and she just walked right in. They didn't think she was seriously hurt until they went to take a reading and the chakra sensor started spitting out single digit readings."

Shikako's squirming distracted Sakura for a moment, before she connected the dots and realized the _reason_ her friend looked so uncomfortable. She had that look on her face: the embarrassed one.

"I can't believe you," Sakura hissed, frustrated. "You aren't supposed to be using chakra!" Shikako looked surprised...and guilty. She was like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"I was just...curious." She replied. "I wanted to know what they were saying." Shikako obviously knew that her excuse wouldn't justify her in Sakura's eyes, which probably meant it was true. She never bothered to defend her poor decisions. It wasn't like her honesty stopped her from continuing to _make_ them.

Sakura glared at the medics in the corner of her eye. "They shouldn't have said that." She said, as she began to regret her decision to drag Shikako out. As if she wasn't already feeling guilty for dragging Shikako out in her condition, let alone leading her to waste her meager chakra supply!

"It doesn't really matter," Shikako replied with a shrug. "It's even kind of funny, really. I mean, if you go with shikabane then you can even make a pun about our naming tradition."

Sakura froze, unwilling to believe her ears as Shikako compared herself to a _corpse_. Her nightmares flashed before her eyes, Shikako's pale corpse filling every one. Did Shikako think that was _funny_?

"How can you say that?!" Sakura exploded, unable to contain herself. "It's not a joke." Did Shikako really not care if she lived or died? Was she really that _reckless_? Sakura was reminded of her concern for Shikako's mental well-being. Perhaps it wasn't her _ruthlessness_ that Sakura needed to worry about. Maybe it was Shikako's utter _selflessness_ that was the problem.

Shikako, clearly caught off guard, pulled herself up to a sitting position slowly. Sakura felt her eyes moisten. How could she make her understand?

"Everyone was really worried about you!" She cried.

Something inexplicable flashed across Shikako's face, and Sakura knew immediately that she hadn't succeeded. She had said the wrong thing, and now she wasn't sure what Shikako was thinking.

"Sorry," Shikako repeated curtly, her signature patience apparently worn out. There was an awkward silence between them, and Sakura felt as if she was perched on a very thin tree limb. One that was too weak to support her weight if she stepped any further.

Shikako changed the subject, and Sakura gratefully followed her away from the ledge.

After that, the nightmares had lost much of their strength, rarely disturbing Sakura's rest. Even so, she continued to get up early every morning to train driven by a purpose she hadn't known before.

Originally, Sakura had studied medical jutsu because that seemed like the best means of achieving her dream. She wanted to be a ninja, and she wasn't going to let anything stop her. She would take whatever path was available to her, and prove that she had what it took.

Discovering that she _enjoyed_ the duties of a medic nin had been an unexpected pleasure. She had lost herself in the work and the studying so quickly that one morning she woke up and realized her dream might _not_ be important. Did she really want to be a field medic?

It was a difficult decision, and Sakura changed her mind almost daily. She had reached an impasse.

But when she witnessed Shikako's incident, all of that had fallen away, cleaved in two by the horror of a death so narrowly avoided. In lieu of that, how could she not see things differently? She hadn't really realized the danger posed to her friends out in the field. It had always been an abstract concept, something to acknowledge but not really expect. When everything was made clear to her so abruptly, the abstract became concrete, and her studies had taken on a whole new meaning.

Sakura no longer studied for her own sake., or even to become a ninja. Now she studied to save lives.

That drive, the fire that burned in her whenever she thought of her friends, pushed her further than even she had thought possible. Sakura had always been a good student. Now, she was the best in her class, and she didn't even care. She mastered the jutsu until she could perform them in her sleep. She trained on her own time, rising before the sun and staying up late. She constantly felt her own ignorance, like a wound that wouldn't heal.

With her new perspective, Sakura's decision was made. She had to have the knowledge she needed to help, yes, but she wanted to _be_ where she was needed to help. She wanted to be a field medic.

A _good_ field medic.

Field medics gave up time to learn lifesaving medical jutsu, but as a price they were the weakest ninja in any battle. They required constant protection. It was a constant dilemma, whether to train their combat skills or medical jutsu. Very few managed to find the right balance.

And that was why Sakura was so focused on recreating Tsunade's strength technique. It was the perfect weapon for a medic in the field. It literally transformed the medic nin from a supporting liability to a capable Taijutsu powerhouse. She could fight _with_ her friends, which would allow her to be on hand if anyone was injured. Tsunade-sama was known as one of the three Sannin in part _because_ she had done the impossible: she had become a combat capable field medic. Sakura was determined to repeat her success.

When Shikako first brought the idea to her, she hadn't really believed it was possible. Then Shikako had brought that seal to the hospital and Sakura had seen how much better her chakra control really was compared to the rest of the medical students. If these were people who made a practice out of chakra control exercises, then Sakura felt she could reasonably be proud of besting them all.

And it gave her hope that she might even be good enough to learn Tsunade's technique.

With her warm up stretches completed, Sakura began a run through of her Taijutsu forms. After all, she needed to know how to land a punch if she wanted the strength technique to mean anything. It was frustrating, because Taijutsu was not something she had practiced often, and she was progressing slowly because of it. Maybe she could find a sparring partner?

Satisfied that she had done enough for the time being, Sakura turned back to the log she intended to pulverize. She could see the marks where her slightly bruised knuckles had failed to inflict maximum harm during her last attempt. _Not this time,_ she silently swore.

Raising her fists, she concentrated her chakra, and launched off of her back foot to deliver a firm punch to the log. Carefully she flared her chakra _just so_...

The post flew through the air with an explosive crack. Sakura looked down to her hand in surprise, which quickly turned to dismay as she noticed that she had split her knuckles as well as the thin gloves she was wearing. Blood ran freely down her stinging fist, and she pulled together a medical jutsu in her other hand to heal the split skin. Only once she had finished that task did Sakura stop to review. With a grin, Sakura let out a whoop as she realize that she had succeeded! She rushed over to the log to inspect the damage.

With some chagrin, Sakura could see that she had only _partially_ succeeded. The wooden post had been splintering along the bottom, its connection to the ground weakening through repeated use. She did break through quite a bit of it, but her punch had likely not been anywhere near as strong as Tsunade's could be. It was a pale imitation at best.

Even so, Sakura couldn't help the warm feeling that flowed through her. She had successfully enhanced her punch beyond the normal limit without doing herself irreparable harm. With time and practice, she could perfect it until she was knocking down hundreds of posts! Shikako was going to be _so jealous_.

Satisfied with her progress, Sakura spent a minute reviewing her memory of the technique while it was still fresh. Then she hurried to the hospital for her morning shift.

* * *

Sakura's thoughts wandered during lunch as she ate her sandwich absentmindedly. In the weeks since Shikako's stupid joke, Sakura had noticed a... _strain_ in their friendship. It was barely there at all, difficult even for Sakura to notice, and yet...she felt like something had happened. There were too many awkward pauses and small hesitations.

And not just from Sakura.

She had been working through their interactions, trying to find the cause, and she kept coming back to that one incident in the hospital courtyard. There had been a moment, almost impossibly short, when she could have sworn that Shikako looked... _angry_.

What had Sakura said?

 _"Everyone was really worried about you!"_

She had thought that Shikako was being reckless. That she didn't understand how important she was. How valuable her life was.

Had Sakura misunderstood? She couldn't fathom the reason her words had hurt Shikako. What did it mean, that they had struck so deep?

"Haruno Sakura?" A strange voice asked politely, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yes?" She replied, looking up from her books. "Can I help you?" Sakura recognized the man as one of the ninja who worked in the Hokage's tower.

"You have a message." He replied, handing her a scroll sealed with wax. As he walked away Sakura stared at it with a furrowed brow. Who wouldn't just come to see her in person?

Then she saw the seal on the ink: the Hokage's seal.

Scrambling to open the scroll, Sakura's thoughts raced. She had recently been transferred to assist in the very hospital ward Tsunade-sama frequented. It was an amazing opportunity to observe Tsunade-sama in action, one that she could hardly believe she was being given. She did _not_ want to do anything that would get her kicked out. If the scroll held some kind of mission, then she-

 _I'm told you broke a training post this morning with your bare hands. A word to the wise: if you're going to work on my secret technique, you might not want to do it by the hospital._

There was no signature, but there was a brief note in the secretary's hand at the bottom. It was an order for her to meet the Hokage at four with directions to Training Ground One.

Sakura paled.

"I am so dead." She whispered. There was no reply from the silent library, but she still felt as if the walls were suddenly leaning towards her. The room had suddenly grown smaller, and the air was heavy with watchful eyes.

Sakura bolted. She packed up her things and left the libraries books behind, her heart pounding furiously.

What had she been thinking? She had been working on recreating Tsunade-sama, the _Hokage_ 's, famous signature strength jutsu! Why on earth had she assumed that she could do that _right next to the hospital!_

Now Tsunade-sama wanted to see her and there was no way she could avoid facing the music. Not without leaving the village.

 _Hmm_.

Nope. Not feasible. Shikako would probably track her down. Let alone Ino.

Ino! Sakura felt a moment of hope. Ino was smart. She was sociable. _She_ hadn't suggested Sakura try to steal her Hokage's technique. Surely Ino would know what to do. Sakura changed course, practically running through the streets. Sakura felt a sudden gratitude for how commonplace that was in a hidden village full of ninja, as she only drew a few curious glances on the way.

Sakura burst into Ino's flower shop, jarring the bells at the door harshly.

"Ino, you have to help me!" She cried. Ino was standing at the counter, working a pink flower into an arrangement. She was wearing a new set of hair clips, and why was Sakura thinking about something so trivial-

"You!" She shouted on reflex as she caught sight of Shikako. "This is all your fault!" Shikako looked curious, but confused, and Sakura couldn't help herself as she burst into tears.

It was just so _unfair_. All she had wanted was to find a way to help her friends. Some way to be _stronger_ , and Shikako's idea to recreate Tsunade's technique had seemed like the perfect shortcut. It wasn't flashy, but the applications were endless, and Sakura knew that if she could really master it then she would be a long way towards making up for the way she had been slacking off.

Now though she could see all her plans falling apart. Tsunade would not be happy, and she had the power to _ruin_ Sakura. She could have Sakura barred from the ninja forces. She could keep her from ever climbing the ranks. She could _kick her out of the hospital_ , let alone the special ward that Sakura had only just been invited to assist with. Forget watching Tsunade-sama in action, Sakura wouldn't be a kunoichi of the leaf by the time Tsunade was through with her!

"My...fault?" Shikako repeated blankly, as if she had no idea what Sakura was talking about. It was infuriating!

"You! You and your techniques and your seal and- and one hundred percent!" She shouted, clenching her fists. Ino led Sakura to a seat as Shikako shrugged helplessly. Sakura could see that Shikako was starting to get it though. There was a light in her eyes when she eyed Sakura's clenched fist which still hadn't recovered in the four hours since her practice.

"She's going to kill me," She continued. "I'm dead and it's all your fault." If Shikako hadn't dragged her (all too willingly) into her little project, then Sakura would have been _fine_. Sakura felt Ino's arm on her shoulder as she succumbed to her emotions.

"No one is going to kill you," Shikako replied firmly. "What happened?"

"I was practicing and I broke the log and someone saw me and I'm in _so much_ _trouble!_ " Sakura almost felt like she was about to hyperventilate, but instead she hiccuped. There were tears in her eyes. No one responded immediately, although Ino was patting her on the shoulder and Sakura caught her giving Shikako a sharp look. It felt a little vindictive to appreciate that, but she still did.

"You were working on the super strength technique?" Shikako asked, more of a statement than a question. "And someone saw you?" Sakura nodded miserably, and Shikako's shoulders dropped incrementally, apparently relaxing as she received the confirmation.

"Tsunade-sama is going to be so angry at me." She replied. Sakura felt more wrung out than she did calmed down, but she was able to get her tears under control, finally.

"It probably won't even get to Tsunade," Shikako replied. "She's the Hokage and very busy. I think you're making too big a deal out of all this. It's just a broken post. That happens all the time."

"They already told her!" Sakura cried, exasperated. "I have to go and meet her this afternoon at Training Ground One! I'm dead. This is it. I'm never going to be a ninja." Her words spilled out bitterly, and she contemplated the final death of her dreams.

Except apparently she was missing something, because Shikako's mouth dropped open.

"You get to train with Tsunade-sama?" Ino breathed in awe. The sudden shift in tone was so out of place Sakura was finally jolted out of her panic enough to _think_ for a moment. Why exactly _was_ she supposed to meet Tsunade at Training Ground One?

Well...it was in the name wasn't it?

"Sakura, that's amazing." Ino continued. Sakura looked at their stunned faces, Ino's awe mirrored on Shikako's face. Sakura had been so busy panicking, that she hadn't thought about the _opportunity_ she was being handed. She squeaked.

"I- I didn't think of it like that," She replied weakly. She had thought herself lucky to observe Tsunade-sama at a distance. But personal instruction? _Well,_ she thought. _I did want to find a sparring partner._

Sparring partner...Sakura felt the blood drain out of her face.

"What am I going to do?"

"What do you want to do?" Ino asked her. "This is an amazing chance but you don't have to take it, you know. No one is going to be angry if you turn it down."

The well intended lie provided no comfort, but it did help Sakura think. A month earlier, Sakura might have believed Ino when she pretended Sakura could turn the Hokage down, but now she _understood_. Their world was dangerous.

In a sense she had seen beyond the veil of death and she could never take that back. And if Sakura could be said to have seen beyond the veil of death, then surely Shikako could as well. She was the one who had almost stepped _beyond_ it.

Suddenly Sakura felt really _really_ dumb. If she felt so driven because of Shikako's brush with death, how motivated did she think _Shikako_ was going to be?

How determined was her friend...to save those _she_ cared about?

With gratitude blossoming in her chest, Sakura wiped her eyes and took a deep breath.

"It is really amazing, isn't it." she replied, wonder in her voice . "It's Tsunade-sama." And while there wasn't a kunoichi in the leaf who wouldn't understand the sentiment, perhaps some of her delight fell to another party.

"Yeah," Shikako agreed. Sakura knew now why Shikako was so impressed. She had the same goal after all. Not to become a field medic, but to protect those she cherished with her life.

"I'd have to be crazy to turn it down," Sakura continued. "It's _Tsunade-sama_."

As they laughed together Sakura remembered another day: a time when she had almost given up and Ino and Shikako had been there to console her. If someone had told her on that day, that she would someday receive training from the great Tsunade Senju, the Slug Princess, the Sannin and Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaf, she would never have believed them.

If they had told her she would care so much, she wouldn't have understood what they meant.

 _I guess Takahiro-sensei was right_. Sakura thought wryly, as she remembered the man telling her she wasn't ready to be a ninja.

 _He's still a jerk though._

She hadn't given up then, and she wouldn't give up now. She was going to be a _ninja_ , and she planned to be the best damn field medic there ever was. Sakura felt as if a new fire had lit inside of her, and she sat up straighter.

Shikako had a wry little grin on her face, and Ino smiled at her. "You're going to be amazing." She promised. "We'll get you cleaned up, then you're going to go and impress the hell out of her."

* * *

Shikako wasn't around the next day to hear how it went, once again off on a mission. Sakura didn't mind though, because she knew that she would see her friend when she returned. Someday soon, she might even find a way to head on out there with her.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : I had not intended to write two Sakura chapters (I wasn't originally intending to write one for her at all!), but hopefully you liked it. Let me know what you think! :)


	5. A Kindling Flame

Summary: When Tsunade hears that Sakura has been caught working on her secret technique, she is intrigued. She hadn't expected her prospective apprentice to be _that_ exceptional.

A Tsunade side story set around the time of Chapter 84 of DOS.

Disclaimer: I own nothing here, neither Naruto nor Shikako nor Tsunade.

* * *

 **A Kindling Flame**

Tsunade abruptly dropped the clipboard onto the desk beneath her subordinate's tired eyes.

"Explain," She demanded brusquely. "How did this happen?"

The clipboard contained information on one of her patients. Data carefully organized to allow anyone with the right training to understand the history of the treatments and drugs given. In this particular case, the report said that Isakai had been given a dose twice as large as he should have.

Which would have killed him.

"I knew I was forgetting something," Ayumi groaned. "My apologies, Tsunade-sama. One of the orderlies caught that before it was administered. Apparently I didn't remember to update the record." Tsunade frowned.

"Ayumi, how long have you been here today?" She asked with concern. If her medics were overworked they made mistakes, and when medic nin made mistakes; people died.

"Only eight hours." Ayumi replied. "My shift ends in ten minutes."

"Good." Tsunade noted. "Get some rest." There was a reason, after all, that they had multiple shifts in the hospital. It was partially to prevent stupid accidents just like this one. Ayumi had apparently come in early, a practice which Tsunade didn't typically approve of. Her medics had difficult enough lives without working beyond the limits set to keep them healthy. Unfortunately, she recognized that it was sometimes necessary. How could you place a real limit on working when lives were at stake? She retrieved her clipboard.

"Who caught the mistake?" She asked in passing. Tsunade liked to take note of good work when she could.

"Haruno-san," Ayumi replied. "Sakura is very reliable."

"Really?" Tsunade replied. "Then let's be glad we have her." Resuming her rounds, she was reminded of the last time she spoke with one Haruno Sakura.

On that day, weeks ago, she had been called to the hospital unexpectedly. To her frustration no one seemed to know who had called for her, and Tsunade had decided to make her rounds early just to be productive while she waited for the hospital staff to sort it out. She was in the middle of reviewing a patient's records when she was surprised by a panicked demand.

"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura gasped, out of breath. "Where's Shikako?"

Tsunade had turned towards Sakura, concealing her surprise. She was not used to being addressed so curtly...and she hadn't realized how rare it was until she heard it again. Everyone was always deferring to her, and while that had happened before she became Hokage, it hadn't always been so... _respectful_. That accursed hat was changing more than she realized.

"Shikako?" She asked as Sakura's question sank in. "Has her team returned then?" Sakura's eyes grew wide as the blood drained from her face.

"You mean you don't _know_?" Sakura asked, and Tsunade was starting to make out the fear in her voice. She frowned. Why would Sakura expect her to know where Shikako was?

"Know what?" She asked briskly.

"I heard she was injured." Sakura replied. "Overheard, that is. I came to find her here, but she hasn't been checked in..."

"So you came to find me." Tsunade finished for her. And suddenly it all made sense. There were preliminary reports of _some_ kind of incident in the Land of Wind, and Naruto's team was supposed to have been right in the middle of it. If they had returned and Danzo wanted to hear an unfiltered version of events, then it was _mighty_ convenient that Tsunade had been forced to rush off to the hospital for an emergency.

Her temper flared and Tsunade was forced to spend several seconds restraining her desire to kill the traitor. The _nerve_ of that man! He was playing games with her and putting her ninja in danger.

"Follow me," Tsunade ordered once she had herself back under control. She had led Sakura out of the hospital, thankful for the girl's impudence in seeking out the Hokage herself in order to find her friend. Courage like that was rare, and Tsunade had already observed Sakura's skill as a medical trainee. She wasn't the youngest girl working in the hospital, but she was the youngest trainee from _civilian_ parentage. Maybe Tsunade should look into her records when she got a chance. The girl had promise.

As always, the numerous demands of her position had refocused her attention elsewhere. Pulling Shikako back from the brink of death wasn't _easy_ , and to properly exploit the incident she had to move quickly. Tsunade might have felt bad making use of Shikako that way, but she was sure that if the girl knew what was at stake then she would want Tsunade to do so. Curbing Danzo's power was a very difficult thing to do, and every opportunity to do so had to be seized with both hands.

Unfortunately, in the midst of all that chaos she had forgotten to look into Sakura's records. She would have to rectify that.

A few hours later, Tsunade sat at her desk with Sakura's file in hand. It made for some interesting reading.

Apparently Sakura had graduated as second kunoichi of her year. She was one of the top students too, easily beating out most of the boys. Strangely, she had actually been considered for Kakashi's genin team at one point, before Shikako was identified as a better choice. Tsunade spent a moment trying to imagine a Team Seven with Sakura in Shikako's place. The idea was amusing, but Tsunade couldn't imagine a Team Seven without Nara Shikako.

Sakura's exceptional academic skills and chakra control hadn't seen her into the Jounin teams, and Tsunade felt a familiar frustration at bureaucratic incompetency. Sakura's talent had almost gone to waste when it would have been so _simple_ to direct the girl to the medical program. Any idiot who took an interest could have spotted how well suited she was for it.

Still, Tsunade couldn't fault Takahiro's report. Sakura had clearly not been ready for combat. At least Konoha wasn't sending their people to meaningless deaths.

The trouble was that in such a case, clan children had an easy advantage over civilians. They had parents familiar with the ninja world who would know about their other options. Civilian children like Sakura did not. Tsunade wasn't about to start favoring civilian children just _because_ they weren't members of a clan, but as Hokage she refused to see potential strength wasted because of something so easily fixed.

Making a note to address the issue later, Tsunade continued her reading.

Sakura had managed to find her own way to the medical program, where her academic strengths served her particularly well. Drafted into the hospital during Hidden Sand's Invasion, she had volunteered ever since. A steady stream of mostly positive reports made up the latter half of the girl's file, and Tsunade had been in the village long enough that even she had noticed how quickly Sakura learned.

Tsunade made it a habit to keep an eye out for rising talent in the hospital. No one understood better than her just how valuable medical skills could be in the field, and she could not ignore her duty. As the village's premier medic, she had the responsibility to nurture such growth, ensure that the next generation of medical trainees received the best instruction possible, and personally guarantee that no potential was wasted.

Since her time was limited, Tsunade had to prioritize. Sakura was one of the few Tsunade had decided to keep tabs on. Her associations with multiple clan heirs aside, the girl was headed towards a bright future in her own right.

There was even a note to consider her for a field combat assignment. Apparently when Tayuya broke into the hospital Sakura managed to subdue her before she could hurt anyone. The report didn't list who Tayuya was of course, but Tsunade was familiar with the incident. What she hadn't known was that Sakura had apparently responded instinctively. That was promising.

Leaning back with a sigh, Tsunade considered all that she had learned about the girl. Sakura had her faults, but there was definitely potential for her to become a capable ninja. This would bear closer inspection.

Tsunade wrote a note out to have the girl transferred to her assist in her ward at the hospital, and resolved to get a closer look at the girl, before she returned to the endless paperwork of her office.

* * *

A day later, Tsunade thought about the news she had just received. One of her ANBU agents, a member of her personal guard whenever she went to the hospital, had spotted Sakura practicing a strength technique that looked suspiciously like hers. She couldn't decide whether to be annoyed or impressed.

 _Definitely_ _impressed_ , she thought. _I hadn't expected her to be_ this _exceptional._

Tsunade had only just had the girl transferred to assist in her private hospital ward. She had intended to get a feel for Sakura's motivations and skills before making her decision. Now she would have to move a little faster, or risk the girl injuring herself like all the other idiots who thought they could figure out her strength technique.

She wrote out a quick note, and handed it to her secretary.

"Schedule a time for us to meet at Training Ground One this afternoon." She ordered. "And have that delivered to her as notice."

Her secretary bowed before quietly leaving her office, but Tsunade's mind was already on other things. She stared down at the paperwork that had come to dominate her life as Hokage, and the main cause of her plans for Sakura.

She was getting _very_ bored of her administrative duties. Tsunade was grateful that the Grass Chuunin Exams were drawing near, as she was dying for a chance to stretch her legs.

Tsunade was glad that Naruto and Jiraiya had come to find her for the position. Not only had Naruto given her someone to hope for again, but she loved nurturing the village's growth. There was so much she could do for the village, and it was good to be healing again.

Even so, she was coming to hate how tied down she was. The Hokage was supposed to be strong, so why did the position force her to spend all her time guarded and safe? It was trying her patience having to send her ninja out into the field, knowing that if she was out there with them she might be able to save lives less practiced medics lost.

It just wasn't where she was needed most anymore.

Which was unfortunate, because there were several people (Shikako came to mind) who she had already invested too much energy into to just let them die on their next mission.

She needed some way to be in the village, yet also be out in the field. Or at least, she needed someone with her abilities out in the field.

So basically, she needed an apprentice.

Tsunade didn't mind sharing many of her techniques. As a medic nin, she had trained hundreds in medical jutsu, because the more who knew how to heal the wounded the more lives could be saved. It was inevitable that some of that knowledge would slip out and spread to other villages, but the benefit outweighed the cost there.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for everything she knew. Her strength technique, for one. And several of her medical jutsu could be put to terrible uses in the hands of someone creative. She had no choice but to hold such knowledge close to her chest just to prevent it from spreading to the wrong people. iT was part of the reason she could do what some others could not, and was still needed for the toughest cases at the hospital.

She was concerned, however, by the fact that all of her knowledge was useless to her ninja in the field. If she could pass it on to someone trustworthy, then that might compensate for her absence. And people would expect an apprentice of Tsunade Senju to be exceptionally skilled, so they might not catch on to the fact that the apprentice had access to some different jutsu.

Sakura wasn't the first one Tsunade had considered for such a position. In fact, given Shikako's exceptional skill, Tsunade had considered training her on occasion. Unfortunately, that would almost be redundant, since the girl was managing to train herself so thoroughly. Tsunade might be wasting her time their by making no significant difference.

Fortunately, she had other options. Sakura, for example. With the girl's medical skills and chakra control, she was definitely a contender. So to hear now that she was _already_ working on Tsunade's strength technique was encouraging. Tsunade just needed to make sure of a few things...

* * *

"You're on time," Tsunade noted as she eyed the girl who stood nervously before her. "excellent."

Sakura had come dressed to impress, which meant that she was taking this seriously. Tsunade nodded in satisfaction before moving on to the interrogation she had planned..

"Explain to me what you were doing this morning."

"Y-Yes Tsunade-sama." Sakura replied. "I was working on...on recreating your technique." As she spoke her voice grew quieter and quieter.

Tsunade did her best to contain her amusement as she replied dryly. "And how were you planning on doing that?"

"Well, I had these equations..." Sakura trailed off sheepishly as she pulled something out of a pocket. Was that...a _napkin?_

Sakura handed it to Tsunade and she saw that there was writing scribbled all over the thing. A cursory examination revealed that it was a very crude outline of the basic concept behind her strength technique. Nobody would be able to use the technique just from reading the thing, but a smart ninja would be well on the path to making it practical.

"Where did you get this?" Tsunade asked. Her eyes narrowed as she noted Sakura's suddenly pale face. Apparently the girl had been hoping that Tsunade would assume the equations were hers. Fortunately, Tsunade was familiar enough with the girl's handwriting after looking over her file the day before. She repeated her question.

"Who gave them to you?"

"Er, you're not going to, uh, punish them are you?" Sakura asked nervously. Tsunade narrowed her eyes further, and Sakura rushed on. "I mean, it wasn't her intention to...that is, I don't think she knew..." Sakura trailed off once more as she saw a look of dawning comprehension in Tsunade's eyes.

"I should have known," the Hokage muttered to herself. That girl is behind _everything._

In a way it was disappointing. Sakura hadn't actually recreated this crude imitation of her technique from scratch. That meant she wasn't _quite_ so exceptional as Tsunade had first believed. Then again...it's always possible that she might have given time. She _did_ manage to turn the bare bones equations written on a _napkin_ into the beginnings of the jutsu.

Which raised another issue.

"Did Shikako also tell you to practice this on your own?"

"No!" Sakura denied. "She wanted to work on it together, but we haven't been able to find the time yet, and..."

"And?" She prompted. Sakura's gaze drifted off into the distance.

"I couldn't wait any longer." She replied, her voice quiet but firm. "After what happened..."

Tsunade waited. She knew Sakura was likely referring to Shikako's injuries several weeks back, but she wanted to see if the girl would explain her thinking. Which reminded her, she would need to speak with Shikako about the wisdom of passing theories like this one around on a _napkin_. Probably after the Chunnin exams, so that Tsunade could keep the girl from getting a swelled head after what she was sure would be a well-earned promotion.

Since Sakura did not continue, Tsunade moved on to her next point.

"Sakura," She began, allowing her irritation to bleed through into her voice. "I, like most ninja, do not appreciate it when my techniques are stolen." Sakura's eyes grew wide, but Tsunade put up a hand to stall her response.

"Unlike most ninja, that is because my techniques can be _dangerous_. My strength jutsu requires perfect chakra control to prevent self-inflicted injury, and you could have killed yourself practicing it alone like you did. Do you understand?"

Her sharp tone made clear just how serious she was in her rebuke, and Sakura bowed her head.

"Yes Tsunade-sama."

"Good," Tsunade relented at last, waving the girl up. "Now, show me what you can do."

Sakura nodded. She moved to the training post and entered her stance. She was vibrating with nerves and her muscles were far too taut.

Tsunade waited.

Sakura shook her head, stepping back for a moment. She breathed out deeply, working to relax and ease the strain on her muscles. With a quick roll of an arm she slipped back into the stance. Rather than wait, she flowed with her momentum and lashed out with her right fist in a smooth even punch.

The log flew through the air. Tsunade ignored it, choosing instead to carefully observe Sakura. The girl had injured her hand, but it was fairly minor damage. Almost cosmetic even.

"I see." She said reservedly. Sakura healed herself before returning to face her. Her face was flushed with victory, and Tsunade couldn't blame her. She remembered the first time she managed to demonstrate her strength technique for her Hokage. It had been exhilarating.

Times were different then, but maybe not as different as they seemed. Tsunade had developed her technique with Sarutobi-sensei's help because of the war. What was Sakura's reason?

"Why did you decide to recreate this jutsu?" She asked in genuine curiosity.

"Why?" Sakura repeated.

"Yes," Tsunade replied drolly. "I would like to know why a medical trainee is so interested in a taijutsu skill." \

Sakura seemed surprised at the question, but managed to quickly gather her wits. "I've always wanted to be a ninja." She replied. "It was my dream...but then I failed Takahiro-sensei's test, and I realized I might not be strong enough."

"So you wanted to be stronger." Tsunade offered. It fit, in a way. Sakura didn't seem like the kind of girl who took failure well. only...she had failed that test long before she started working on Tsunade's jutsu.

"No, that's not the real reason." Sakura replied. "I intended to be a field medic, again just to fulfill my dream." Her lips thinned in remembered displeasure. "Then when Shikako nearly died...I realized how little my dream mattered compared to my comrades." She shook her head, then looked Tsunade straight in the eye.

"I need to be strong enough to make sure that _never_ happens again."

The determination in her voice was like a flame, one that Tsunade had seen frequently through the years. Tsunade knew the will of fire when she saw it, and somehow Shikako's influence- however unintentional- had set it afire in Sakura. Like one torch passing flame to another.

 _Yes_ , Tsunade thought. _This I can work with_.

She cleared her throat. "Well, if you're going to learn _my_ secret strength technique, then you will have to agree to some conditions..."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : It almost feels like Sakura is all I ever write about! Thankfully with this chapter done, I can finally move on to other characters. Let me know what you think!


	6. Nee-chan

This one's a short one, set around the time of chapter 106.

Disclaimer: I own nothing here, neither Naruto nor Shikako nor Chiyako-chan.

* * *

 **"Nee-chan"**

"What is _that_?"

Chiyako froze. Yumi Masami was pointing right at her.

No, not at her, Yumi was pointing at her wrist. The one with Shikako-nee's bracelet on it.

Yumi had been looking for a reason to pick on Chiyako ever since that day when Chiyako got an invitation that she didn't. Chiyako wasn't sure why it bothered her. Moegi and Hanabi got invitations too, but she didn't pick on them.

"Oh? Are you too good to tell us now? You think you're special?" Yumi taunted, putting on a show for her friends, who giggled.

"It's a friendship bracelet." Chiyako replied. Yumi's friend snorted.

"Like anyone would give you one of those." The girl replied dismissively. Yumi nodded.

"She must have stolen it from somebody." She mused. Then she extended her hand imperiously. "Well, give it here."

"I didn't steal it!" Chiyako denied. "It was a gift."

Apparently feeling impatient, one of Yumi's cronies stepped forward and took a swipe at the bracelet. Chiyako stumbled backward with a cry, channeling her chakra to light it up. The light distracted the girl long enough for her to get away.

Unfortunately, Chiyako saw too late that she had been a distraction as Yumi grabbed at her wrist from beside her. She was going to lose Shikako-nee's bracelet!

Then she was standing ten feet away. She could only stare in awe as Hanabi deftly caught Yumi's hand.

Where had Hanabi come from? Did she just use the replacement jutsu on Chiyako?

"Masami Yumi." Hanabi stated carefully, disdain barely evident. "Leave."

She released the girl's arm and stepped back calmly. Yumi paled at the Hyuuga heiress' blank stare. She was the top kunoichi in their year, but only just, and Hanabi always beat her in taijutsu matches.

With a vicious glare Yumi and her two friends ran off. Chiyako breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to see that Hanabi was already walking away.

"That. Was. _Awesome!_ " Konohamaru shouted, dropping out of the tree from above. Hanabi and Chiyako both shrieked in surprise and stumbled back onto their butts simultaneously. Konohamaru broke into peals of laughter, and started to roll around on the ground.

Chiyako hurried past him to give Hanabi a hand.

"Thanks for your help," she mumbled, as she pulled Hanabi into a standing position.

"It was nothing." Hanabi replied, sticking her nose in the air. "The stupid girl thinks she can do whatever she wants. I had to make sure she doesn't get out of control."

Chiyako just giggled. Hanabi was pretty funny, but she seemed alright. Maybe they could be friends.

 _Hmmm_...Chiyako thought. _What made Nee-chan want to be my friend?_ She considered it for a moment, then suddenly grabbed Hanabi's hand with a gasp.

"Do you want to meet Mister Cranberry?!"

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Isn't Chiyako just so _cute_?


	7. Like Gravity

Summary: The Chuunin Exams have come 'round once more, but this time Kakashi has Genin of his own. Is he ready to throw them into the fray?

A Kakashi side story set between the time of Chapters 4-16 of DOS.

Disclaimer: I own nothing here, neither Naruto nor Shikako nor Kakashi.

* * *

 **Like Gravity**

"Now…" The Hokage drawled. "First we'll hear from those who are watching over the new genin."

Kakashi slouched, eyeing the gathering of ninja lazily. The chuunin exams were due to begin, and it was Konoha's turn to play host. Even if Rock and Cloud weren't going to send anyone to Konoha before hell froze over, the cycle still ran through every village. Kakashi didn't usually go in for the nominations. Mostly because for the last eight years he had hardly ever worked with any genin.

Part of him knew the truth though. He hadn't had the heart to nominate anyone to the rank that killed his friends.

But the nominations were a ritual of sorts, and as the Hokage had noted, the rookie genin sensei traditionally went first.

"Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma...Are there any genin that you would like to enter into this chuunin selection exam?"

It was an important question. One that Kakashi had anticipated with ever increasing dread for the last month...or even longer. It seemed impossible that just two months had changed so much…

* * *

"No."

The Third Hokage gave Kakashi a shrewd look, apparently unfazed by his blunt response.

"Do you have a better idea, Hatake?" Hiruzen asked him. The old man snorted at Kakashi's blank flat-eyed stare. Kakashi was not in the mood for jokes. Hiruzen leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands as he spoke. "You have to admit that you are uniquely suited for this assignment."

Kakashi did _not_ have to admit any such thing. Just because Namikaze-sensei was the one brat's father, and the other one would eventually have the sharingan eyes, didn't mean he was the _only_ jounin who could handle such a sensitive assignment. What madness had convinced Hiruzen to put the Jinchuuriki and the village's last Uchiha on the same team anyway?

"Asuma could easily-"

"Asuma already has a team," The Hokage cut in with narrowed eyes. "Which you well know."

Kakashi should have known he couldn't get away with that one. The famed Ino-Shika-Cho had been anticipated for some time, and if Asuma wasn't already a Jounin there might have even been some accusations of nepotism. After winning a contest that fierce, he could hardly be expected to give up his team.

"Then Gai can..." Kakashi trailed off, as the interruption he expected never came. Hiruzen didn't even bother to conceal his amusement, leaning back with his arms behind his head, like some unruly brat.

It all made so much sense now. Kakashi had made Jounin at a young age. _Ridiculously_ young. Somehow, he'd always thought that was the reason he was never assigned to a Genin team. But the whole time, the Hokage was merely biding his time, waiting for the right students to come along, when Kakashi would have no choice but to take them on.

Kakashi sighed. His father, Minato, Obito, Rin. Countless friends and allies. Could he really do this again? Kakashi opened his mouth to say it once more. To tell the Hokage why he couldn't.

But a yellow flash caught his eye.

He looked down at the file. Three pictures. Three different faces. One shy girl, one sullen boy, and one obnoxious brat.

A team. Not yet, but maybe. Someday.

He owed them at least that much.

"They have to pass." He muttered.

"Of course, Hatake." Hiruzen smiled, his pleasure apparent. "I would expect nothing less." Kakashi picked up the file.

"Who's the girl?" He asked idly.

"Nara Shikako," Hiruzen replied. "My ANBU report that she's friendly with Naruto, and the Academy claims that Sasuke tolerates her." Kakashi frowned, his visible eye twitching.

"You're assigning them a _friend?_ " He asked incredulously. "Can she even fight?" Hiruzen waved his hand in the air dismissively.

"You know how these things go, Hatake." He replied. "None of them can _really_ fight. She's the top kunoichi of their year, and a Nara to boot. You shouldn't have any trouble with her."

Hiruzen looked suspiciously innocent, a face Kakashi had long since learned to dread. There was more to the girl than Hiruzen was saying. Something Kakashi wouldn't get out of him until he learned it on his own anyway.

"So what will this team be called?" Kakashi asked reluctantly.

There was a gleam in Hiruzen's eye.

"Team Seven."

* * *

The old man puffed on his pipe, drawing Kakashi's attention back to the meeting at hand. "I don't have to tell you but...after a genin has properly completed at least eight missions...They may take the exam if nominated by their sensei."

Of course...that had actually been Kakashi's Plan B. Once his genin had passed his test (Plan A), he had been forced to find _other_ ways to get out of the job. Mainly through showing Hiruzen that he wasn't taking the job seriously.

Seven days of easy D-rank missions, and a single C-rank (which was _supposed_ to see no combat) then he'd "recommend" them for the chuunin exams. The Hokage would have no choice but to take his genin away from him publicly, in order to make his status as their sensei null and void.

Then their mission to the Land of Waves went belly up, throwing the plan into complete disarray.

* * *

Kakashi refrained from cursing. It wouldn't reassure his Genin _or_ the client, and it could potentially help the enemy.

He still felt the urge though.

 _The enemy_. There wasn't supposed to _be_ an enemy. This was a C-rank mission! Guard some villagers building a bridge, the Hokage said. It will be good for your team, he said. When Kakashi got his hands on that old schemer…

Shikako stumbled...except that it was no stumble since her footsteps were usually inaudible anyway. She managed to tap out the code for attention. She couldn't have noticed the enemy, could she? Curious, Kakashi acknowledged her with a hand sign.

 _Foreign chakra, middle of path, 200 meters._ She signed. _Possible jutsu/trap/ambush_.

Naruto and Sasuke immediately tensed, but they managed not to give anything away. Something Kakashi would not have expected from Naruto based on their first seven missions. He signed a query at Shikako asking for specifics.

The girl frowned, pausing briefly. Was she expecting him to be surprised?

 _Multiple opponents. Greater than one, less than five. Upper chuunin level._

Kakashi had to hold in a chuckle at that. 'Upper chuunin level' indeed. While the enemies before them certainly met the chakra levels of what you would expect from strong chuunin, Kakashi would have pegged them in the lower levels himself. They didn't appear to be very intelligent, given their course of action, and Kakashi's experience had taught him a lot about the dangers of an intelligent foe.

 _Course of action?_

 _Spring the trap._ Kakashi signed, careful to ensure that Naruto and Sasuke saw and understood. _Primary Mission Objective_.

The three genin spread out smoothly to guard the client, as Kakashi put his book away reluctantly. Shikako had surprised him during the test, and now this? And his other genin were at least meeting the minimum requirement of competence.

Kakashi groaned internally. At this rate he'd never get rid of them.

* * *

"Of course, completing more missions than that is the norm." Sarutobi finished. Some of the ninja in the room shifted, doubtless wondering why the Hokage was repeating such basic information.

Kakashi knew why.

The Hokage was sending him a message, and doubtless Asuma and Kurenai too. Why else would the old man prattle on about a rule so basic that everyone knew it. The Hokage was a fan of such brazen subtlety, and to go on about it at this meeting...He wanted them to consider this decision carefully. He was asking them a question.

 _Are they ready?_

* * *

Kakashi gave nothing away as he slipped from sleep to consciousness. Something was wrong, otherwise he wouldn't have awoken. He searched for any indication of what it was, carefully examining the chakra signatures in the house. Their clients and sasuke all rested peacefully as they should be. Naruto was out on patrol...

Where was Shikako?

Other than the girl's mysterious absence he couldn't find a trace of anything wrong, so he opened his eyes and frowned as he set about searching the house. Zabuza and his apprentice were supposed to be gone, and Kakashi had felt sure that there wouldn't be any further danger from them. But Shikako wasn't likely to have run off either, so what happened?

Suddenly her chakra bloomed back into existence, merely ten feet away. Kakashi paused for a minute, considering. It could be a trap...but the chakra seemed genuine. He moved toward the veranda, rounding the corner to spot Shikako, smiling weakly. She had wedged herself into a corner, like a child trying to hide.

Of course, that's exactly what she _was._

"Mah, it's a bit early for you to be up, isn't it?" He asked cheerily, settling down at a good distance. Gazing out into the night sky as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

She looked... _afraid._ It was strange to see her like this, so vulnerable. In all that she had faced these past few weeks she had managed to do so head on. Tense and concerned, yes, but still determined to get through.

 _This is what a genin who encountered Zabuza should look like_.

It was interesting, how seeing her like this brought her usual behaviour into sharper focus.

"I had a nightmare." She admitted at last. She coughed, clearing her throat. "It's nothing big."

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. He hadn't really considered it, because he hadn't planned for a combat mission. He'd initially hoped to be rid of the kids before he had to handle any psychological issues.

"Is that the first time you've seen someone killed?" He asked her, no judgement in his voice. "It can be upsetting."

She blinked in...surprise?

"It's not that," She hesitated. Was she considering whether or not to tell him something? Kakashi felt rather bemused. What in a thirteen year old girl's nightmares was he going to run away from?

"That chakra… that Naruto had…" She swallowed. "What was it?"

Right. That.

Kakashi had a lot of experience in concealing his reactions, and that served him in good stead as he managed to contain himself to his eyes. A simple glance.

Shikako looked oddly pensive. Concerned and worried and far too intent for him to ignore this question. Of course, he wasn't allowed to tell her the answer. Doing so could have consequences he would really rather avoid. Perhaps a straightforward dodge would do, this time.

"I can't tell you that." Kakashi replied. "That is… Naruto's secret."

"It's Kyuubi, isn't it."

Kakashi sighed internally as he turned to look at her. Why did Shikako ask the question if she already knew the answer? She fidgeted and drew back further into her hidey hole, before explaining herself.

"I…I remember that chakra. When I was really small." She was struggling to explain, ending in a whisper. "I was really scared."

Then she buried her face into her knees, avoiding his gaze.

"You would only have been a few weeks old." Kakashi replied in shock, thinking back to her file. "Most people don't remember anything from that age." He was stalling. Poorly, but really, how was he supposed to respond to that?

"Bad things are always easier to remember than good things," Shikako said, her voice thick. "I remember...Shikamaru was crying, was screaming, but I couldn't. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe, the air was so thick with it…"

She was _trembling_. Shikako had shown fear before, but this...this was _terror._

"It's alright." Kakashi soothed. "I remember too."

And he did. The chaos and destruction. The friends dying on all sides. All accompanied by that impossibly thick chakra. It was so oppressive, so...frightening. Kakashi had done all he could, and yet he still _failed_. Namikaze-sensei was gone. The last member of his team.

"That chakra was Kyuubi's," Shikako cut in on his thoughts, finally still once more. "So how does Naruto have it?"

He sighed. He'd assumed a trio of genin would be easy to hold at a distance. Just do the bare minimum and get rid of them somehow, or failing that send them on through to become Chuunin.

He had _not_ accounted for the tricky little Nara girl. Somehow, she had managed to forge them all into a real _team_. Not just some sham of collaboration. Naruto was abrasive and Sasuke obsessed, yet Shikako had still brought them together.

Seeing their growing attachment, their developing teamwork. Kakashi hadn't been able to stay detached. He'd been unable to resist nurturing their potential. They had come together in ways he hadn't imagined possible. He thought he had lost them when Zabuza captured him in the Water prison, and yet... _they had survived_.

So now, for Shikako to discover this about Naruto...how could he let this go? If he didn't tell her the truth, what kind of conclusions might she make? She was a smart girl, and it was entirely possible that she would realize the truth. But if she _didn't…_

It would destroy Team Seven...and Kakashi wasn't willing to let that happen. Not again.

"I'm going to get in trouble for this." He murmured, running his hand through his hair.

So he told her. The theory of Jinchuuriki and seals, and how the Fourth Hokage had sealed the Kyuubi inside Naruto to save the village. She dragged him into a discussion on the theory of chakra and at some point, she even crawled out beside him to lean against his arm.

It wasn't long before Shikako was too tired to continue, but Kakashi felt satisfied that she believed him. She knew she could trust Naruto. The Team was safe.

Kakashi would still have avoided answering, should anybody ask. But he knew then and there that he could trust them too.

* * *

"Now, Starting with Kakashi…" The Hokage announced. "The Kakashi led team 7, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Nara Shikako..."

Kakashi formed the traditional seal, taking a moment to prepare himself.

 _Are they ready?_

He had fought for so long, mourning the loss of his team. Was he really ready to send his Genin into the fray so soon? Somehow, he had grown to care about them despite his best efforts. He had fought it every step of the way, clinging to his fears and his loss.

It had been inevitable, like gravity. They were his _team_ now.

" _Bad things are always easier to remember than good things_." Shikako had meant something else entirely, but it was true. Somewhere along the way, Kakashi had lost his ability to trust. Not in the honor of his comrades...but in their _strength_. He had come to expect that he would always lose them. That he would always _fail_ them.

But he wanted to try. He needed to _rely_ on them.

They were ready, after all.

"Under the name of Hatake Kakashi, I nominate them to take the chuunin selection exam."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Alrighty...a bit shorter this time. Kakashi is a lot harder to write than I had expected, so I'm not quite done with him. Whether or not he comes next, I will be doing more chapters with him. Let me know what you think! :)


	8. Beyond Expectations

Summary: Kakashi thought he had already learned not to underestimate his little Genin...and then _this_ happened.

A Kakashi POV of Orochimaru's Invasion. Some overlap with Chapters 33-34 of DoS.

Disclaimer: I own nothing here, neither Naruto nor Shikako nor Kakashi.

* * *

 **Beyond Expectations**

 _Well now,_ Kakashi thought as he left Sasuke to his match against Gaara. _What do we have here?_

Shikako was wearing her full armament. If Kakashi hadn't known any better, then he might have thought she was leaving on a mission. More than that, he could see that she was on edge. Her narrowed eyes, the cautious way she was aware of her surroundings, of the entire arena. They told a story.

She was a little too _ready_ for someone who was just there to spectate.

And her attitude was contagious. Kurenai's genin, seated next to her, were clearly feeling the tension. If she'd held true to form, Shikako wouldn't have outright _told_ them what she was anticipating, but she would have brought the relevant oddities to their attention and let them work it out for themselves. Just as she had in the Land of Waves after all.

It was hard not to feel a little proud, but Kakashi exercised admirable restraint, as usual.

Orochimaru's "secret" invasion was due to begin any minute now, so he joined Gai in the aisle. They'd need to _move_ when it hit, and Kakashi wasn't taking any chances with his genin's life.

Frustratingly, Shikako was the one who probably needed the _least_ protection.

"What's up with Hinata?" the Yamanaka girl asked her.

"She had a flare up," Shikako replied lightly. "The ANBU back there, the one in the cat mask, healed her, but she hasn't woken up yet." As she spoke, she caught Kakashi's eye and subtly identified the ANBU as a potential enemy.

Briefly, Kakashi was reminded of the time she identified someone for him as _Orochimaru._

"Hi, there," he drawled lazily as sent back a handsign of his own in acknowledgement. "Sorry about that. You must have been worried."

"Does this look like my worried face?" Shikako asked flatly. Kakashi mentally rated her anxiety a little higher. Shikako was usually better at deflecting than that.

He chuckled uneasily. "Mah, mah, don't be angry. I wasn't going to let Sasuke be disqualified." _Much as I may have wanted to_ …

She huffed. "Please tell me that you at least saw Naruto's match. He did really well."

 _Did she just…?_ Kakashi's brain stuttered. "He beat Neji did he?"

She knew he was there _the whole time_? How! Was she really that good a chakra sensor? Sure, she'd demonstrated an eerily good ability to locate enemy ninja, but he'd been suppressing his presence using his best techniques.

It kind of stung a little that she'd caught him out anyway. He hadn't realized she was quite that good.

The match started, and the conversation- which had moved on without him- died down in anticipation.

Sasuke fought well, and he mostly kept his head, but even as he impressed the crowd around him with his speed Kakashi could already tell: It wasn't enough.

The Sand's jinchuuriki was a monster of an opponent. Even with his natural talents, and the best training Kakashi could come up with for him. It had never been very realistic to expect Sasuke to win.

No, the goal had merely been to enable his _survival_.

"What kind of training did you do, to get to that level in a month?" Gai asked him.

"Hmm?" Kakashi murmured, stalling for a moment. "Oh. Sasuke had copied Lee's taijutsu with his Sharingan, so I merely had him imagine Lee's movements…and then copy it."

That was an oversimplification of course, but Kakashi was hardly about to reveal the Sharingan's inner workings in a stadium full of _enemies_. Seeing that Gai, and perhaps more importantly Lee, was not going to be satisfied with that much, he continued.

"Sasuke mastered that taijutsu only because he knew Lee. Of course, he still had to work very hard to master it."

It truly was impressive, and Kakashi would feel a little irked too if someone could steal his life's training just by copying his movements.

That was, after all, _Kakashi's_ specialty.

Fortunately for his Eternal Rival's pride, the price Sasuke paid in chakra was fairly evident. That level of speed wasn't something he could maintain anywhere near as long as Lee.

Which begged the question, of course, as to how _Shikako_ had managed to pull it off.

"What's more interesting, though," Kakashi began, unable to resist pulling the sneaky Nara's leg. "Is that nine times out of ten, Shikako can still beat him in a race."

It was hard not to laugh at the reaction that inspired. Everyone else's surprise was nice, but Kakashi could practically feel Shikako grumbling. He enjoyed having a student who automatically rejected praise, rather than letting it go straight to her head.

"What?" She asked defensively. "You thought I was just going to take the month off or something?"

Which was an interesting point. Why exactly _hadn't_ she done just that?

The Akimichi dragged him back into the conversation, but Kakashi made a note to consider the question again some time. The stadium was about to become too busy for such things.

Down in the arena, Sasuke tried using a water scroll to slow down Gaara's sand, but with limited success. Still the taijutsu itself wasn't enough. That much had always been clear. It was why Kakashi had taught him the Chidori.

Everyone oohed and awed appropriately.

...not to be taught lightly." Gai finished his disapproving explanation. It was ironic, coming from the man who taught his genin how to open _chakra gates_.

"Yeah, you're one to talk." Kakashi replied "Right Lee?"

That might have been a little petty. Fortunately, his own little genin came to his rescue.

"So it's like the Third Raikage's Hell Stab." She noted.

...Sometimes, she could be a little _too_ observant. Then again, did he _not_ want her to notice the invasion?

"No." Kakashi replied, deadpan. Gai chuckled.

The suspicious ANBU was on the move, and Kakashi carefully prepared himself. Everyone else had their eyes on the fight, which made it the perfect time for the enemy to spring their trap.

 _"Blood! It's my blood!"_

It was a cry to set your teeth on edge, and despite himself, Kakashi's eyes were drawn to the center of the arena.

Sasuke had actually landed a hit. Kakashi was mildly impressed. That would be the limit though.

And feathers fell through the air.

* * *

Kakashi went straight for the ANBU, sharingan unleashed. Intelligence looked to be right in that the enemy were essentially in uniform, which made the one in disguise a priority.

That and the ridiculously powerful genjutsu they were broadcasting. Best to nip that in the bud.

If his body flicker surprised the spy, it didn't show. The enemy easily parried Kakashi's first two blows. That was fine though, as Kakashi still accomplished his main objective when the cat mask was sent flying.

" _Kabuto,_ " Kakashi hissed. Now he knew why Shikako had been suspicious, since she had met the man posing as a genin. His chakra was likely familiar to her.

"You catch on quickly," Kabuto smirked. "Let's see how you match up to your legendary skills."

And then they were fighting, captured by the familiar rhythm of combat. A dodge here, a replacement there. A quick wind technique on the sly. Feint with a shadow clone, catch a kunai and return it with two more.

Kabuto was a strong opponent. Challenging. Still, he didn't quite match up. Kakashi could almost certainly defeat him…if he wasn't conserving his strength for the _rest_ of the battle.

Kabuto fell into one of Kakashi's layered genjutsu traps, providing him with enough of an opportunity to land a blow. The spy tumbled backwards, only sliding to a stop with the help of his free hand.

Unfortunately, Kakashi was too busy to follow through beset by multiple enemy chuunin.

"I see your legend _isn't_ exaggerated, Kakashi." Kabuto spoke as Kakashi put down another enemy. There was grudging respect there, but also an undertone of arrogance. Kabuto clearly felt that he had the advantage for some reason.

And ok, _yes_ , six—five now—more chuunin in the fight would make things easier for him, but the spy had to have realized Kakashi would have help eventually. Theirs was a chaotic battlefield, but the shinobi of the leaf were by no means _losing_.

"But I don't intend to be stopped here," Kabuto continued, his hand stretched forth as he reached for—Kakashi's mind almost stuttered as he identified the medic-nin's target. It was Shikako, her eyes wide in surprise.

For the first time that day, Kakashi was afraid, his blood chilled. He had to-

"Kai!" Suddenly, Shikako was a blur, and Kabuto _flew_ across the stands, shock wiping the smirk off his face.

In his rage and fury, Kakashi managed to finish off the remainder of his opponents. He hesitated for a moment, torn, and then Gai followed after Kabuto with a slew of taijutsu blows.

Grateful to his eternal rival for the reprieve, Kakashi took a moment to regain his composure. Shikako was fine. Now he needed to make sure that she, and the rest of his genin, _stayed_ that way. That dazed look on her face wasn't likely to help matters.

"Shikako!" He said cheerily as he landed in a crouch beside her. "No time to be woolgathering."

He looked her over as she replied automatically. Shikako was breathing lightly but evenly, eyes flickering to and fro as she observed the battle around them. There was blood, not her own, spattered lightly on her arms and jacket.

This kind of combat would be new to her, but she seemed to be holding up well.

"Listen carefully," Kakashi said as he casually took in the battlefield with the ease of long practice. "I have a mission for you. This is an A-rank mission." Kakashi knew she would understand what he meant by that, since the Land of Waves had turned into an A-rank mission and she could hardly have forgotten what _that_ was like. This would be _dangerous_.

Of course, this girl had faced down Orochimaru and survived. Kakashi was increasingly confident that his Genin could handle themselves.

"Sasuke is chasing Gaara and the other Sand ninja. There is no time. I suspect many Sound and Sand shinobi have already infiltrated this village." Suspect, in this case, being a polite fiction to cover for the fact that he wasn't authorized to pass this information on to her earlier. Shikako nodded.

"Sasuke will need backup, but he's also going to be a target. Take who you need and go after Sasuke. You'll be limited to the Genin; we can't spare any fighters."

That was the closest Kakashi could come to ordering the girl to rein Sasuke in. The boy clearly couldn't think straight if he was chasing three enemies after a match like he had just fought. Thankfully, Kakashi _knew_ Orochimaru was otherwise occupied, so they wouldn't be facing him a second time just yet. Hopefully never again if the Hokage managed to kill the bastard.

Shikako froze, her breath catching.

"Shikako!" Kakashi barked urgently. "There is no time to waste." _Speaking of which_ …he slammed his hand on the ground, issuing forth the familiar summons.

"Pakkun here will track down Sasuke by scent."

Whether by his voice or the sudden appearance of Pakkun, Shikako had clearly broken past whatever had her freeze up in fear. Her fingers formed a circle, as Kakashi was used to seeing whenever the girl thought hard.

Parkin waited for a moment, but it wasn't like they had much time for Shikako to think.

"You wanna shake? My paws are so soft and supple," Pakkun said, waving a paw at the girl. Shikako, clearly charmed, caught his paw gently and shook, a bemused smile on her face.

"You I like." Pakkun announced.

"Got it?" Kakashi asked her, absently flinging a Kunai to disrupt an enemy.

"Track Sasuke. Protect him. Stop Gaara," She reiterated. "Gaara has Temari and Kankurou with him…" Her voice trailed off, clearly thinking about the issue at hand. Kakashi concealed a sigh of relief. Shikako could handle herself, as she had so aptly proven with Kabuto, and with her protecting Sasuke (and likely Naruto as well) all of his genin would be _safe_.

"Got it." Shikako confirmed.

"There's an opening in the back wall." Kakashi replied. "Get ready. I'll cover you."

Shikako nodded, then immediately rushed in the _opposite direction_. What was she…oh, the sleeping genin in the stands. That was actually a good idea.

Kakashi observed carefully as she gathered up her fellow genin, but before too long he was dragged into combat by a particularly fierce group of enemy chuunin, and he lost sight of them.

* * *

It was some time before Kakashi managed to slip away from his duties. The ill-fated invasion had ultimately been crushed in a matter of hours, but that still created a host of problems that Kakashi had to help solve.

There were times for casual tardiness, and this was not it.

Still, even Shinobi must sleep eventually. Kakashi had finally joined the off-duty shift, and on the way out he managed to get his hands on a mission report that he had heard tell of in passing. One might even have thought he was _listening_ for it.

It wasn't actually a mission report, of course. It was the amalgamation of the nine or so mission reports that the rookie genin had all turned in earlier that day. Reports covering their fight with a giant sand monster, something that couldn't be overlooked even amidst the present chaos.

Knowing that they had made it out alive was enough at first, but Kakashi was interested to learn how his little students had managed to defeat a Jinchuuriki, even with help.

The rumors of giant toads had placed the "blame" at Jiraiya's feet, funnily enough. Given that he had been busy fighting off that giant snake summons on the village wall at the time...we'll it wasn't hurting his reputation any for people to suspect that he had been in two places at once.

Kakashi wandered through the damaged portions of the village, quiet and empty. Without meaning to, he found himself standing before the memorial stone. True dark had fallen, so that he could hardly read the names without chakra. Still, it felt...right to be there.

More than a few names were going to be added in the coming days.

Sighing at the morbid thoughts, Kakashi split the seal, perusing the report that had been headed to the village elders. It was a summation of events added together by the staff at the Tower, clearly intended to highlight the important points for the interim leadership following the Hokage's death.

For all that, the bulk of the report was as Kakashi had expected, familiar with Shikako's style as he was. Her peculiar humility was unquestionably factual. So much so that one might even miss the part where she neutralized a pursuing force of nine Chuunin with a single seal. Thankfully, that same humility forced the girl to acknowledge her accomplishments as well as her failures. Anything less wouldn't be a complete report, and the Nara girl didn't seem capable of "anything less".

It was a style well suited to delivering an objective view of events, which inevitably made it favorable for the purposes of a summary. Kakashi had overheard the staff at the Tower once, babbling excitedly about the way she made that ridiculous A-Rank mission easy to understand.

It probably helped that Kakashi submitted his report several weeks late on principle.

From her account, Kakashi managed to put together a vague picture of events. They pursued Gaara and his siblings, separating into teams in order to take them down without injury or death on either side.

Troublesome.

When Kakashi had sent Shikako off after Sasuke, he honestly hadn't expected them to _win_. He had assumed that Shikako would recognize an untenable situation and lead a successful retreat, something that he knew Sasuke wouldn't see as an option with his tunnel vision.

The boy had chased after a Jinchuuriki and two additional enemies whilst verging on _chakra exhaustion_. He clearly did not understand the purpose of a retreat.

But apparently Kakashi hadn't put enough faith in his other genin. Shikako managed to put together a team and a successful plan in a paltry few minutes. She demonstrated extraordinary leadership, and clear strategic thinking. In the midst of combat no less. And Naruto…

Kakashi snorted. Naturo managed to take down Konoha's premier jyuuken prodigy and the Sand's Jinchuuriki in a _single day._ He had already far exceeded expectations when one looked to his rank in the Academy.

By all reports—and it really was _all_ reports: the other seven accounts agreed with Shikako—Naruto defeated a weakly manifested form of Shukaku.

Alone.

Kakashi had a hard time restraining the feelings of pride swelling within. Then again...there was always a second opinion. A dash of blood and a puff of smoke summoned forth Kakashi's old friend and the only member of the mission yet to give a report: Pakkun.

"Kakashi." Pakkun's gravelly voice greeted him. "I expected you hours ago."

"Mah, mah, we just wiped out an invasion force." Kakashi spread his hands apologetically, pocketing the mission scroll as he did so. "You know how it is."

"Hmph." Pakkun snorted. "Your Genin seemed to have things well in hand. You couldn't handle something so simple?"

"They _did_ , didn't they." Kakashi confirmed cheerily, before growing serious. "I wanted to hear about that from you actually. How did they do?" Pakkun grumbled thoughtfully, settling against the ground before looking back up to Kakashi, a sharp gleam in his eye.

"The Nara girl was a good choice." Pakkun confirmed. "The others trusted her, and her plan worked. One without the other and they'd have all died."

Well...it hadn't been an A-ranked mission for nothing. Kakashi never liked hearing that a mission had strayed so close to failure, but such was the life of a ninja. That Shikako managed to walk such a fine line so _well_ was part of the reason Kakashi had grown so fond of the girl. She'd regularly come through in a tough situation.

"And the others?"

"The black one, with the sharingan." Pakkun growled. "He lost focus."

Of course. Sasuke was far too invested in his "rivalry" with Gaara. That was why Kakashi had sent the rest of them after him in the first place.

"I expected that." Kakashi confirmed with a nod. "What about Naruto? I hear that he finished the fight?"

"That boy is a monster." Pakkun replied flatly. "Practically unstoppable, and reckless in the face of danger too. Although…" Pakkun allowed grudgingly. "He has a good head on his shoulders. Not the most strategic thinker, but he does well with a little direction."

"All as I expected." Kakashi mumbled. Which was true...except for Naruto. That boy regularly pulled surprises out of nowhere, and Kakashi was going to have _words_ with Jirayai about signing the boy onto a summons contract without even warning his sensei. Still, none of that was the reason he had summoned Pakkun. "But what happened at the end? They let them go?"

And therein lay the trouble. When they won the fight and captured the Kazekage's three children, they had stepped beyond Kakashi's expectations...and his orders. Orders that might have protected them from censure in the event that they made the wrong choice. Likely the only reason the rookie genin weren't facing a backlash for their decision to let the Jinchuuriki go was due to the fact that they had succeeded beyond expectations in the first place.

They'd had a Jinchuuriki by the tail, and they _let him go_.

Granted, the boy had fled home with that tail between his legs, an ominous warning to those who sought Konoha's downfall. It wasn't exactly ideal however. Kakashi was hoping that Pakkun might provide a little insight that was missing from the report.

Even Shikako had glossed over that part of events.

Pakkun appeared to think over his reply, before nodding.

"Shikako did." Pakkun nodded. "They spent some time discussing their options, arguing even, but Shikako made the decision."

And wasn't _that_ interesting. Shikako was ultimately responsible as the mission leader at the time, but Kakashi would not have thought to hear that she had actually made the decision herself. If anything, he figured that Naruto and the other's would have stayed her hand.

She _had_ killed three enemies during the second exam after all, and Kakashi had yet to see any sign of remorse for that. not that he would have felt any remorse for it either, but he was a battle-hardened war veteran. Shikako was a twelve year old genin. Even with the situation as clear cut as it had been, he would have expected something different from the merciless slayer she had proved to be.

So to move from her decision _then_ to letting their prisoners go...well it was an interesting leap.

True, the situations were markedly different. During the second exam she had been on her last legs, heavily injured from a fight with Orochimaru. Desperate. Whereas in this recent struggle she and her friends had succeeded without major injury. Defeating and even capturing their foes.

Perhaps the girl simply knew when to use deadly force, and when to leave it behind.

Kakashi gazed thoughtfully at the memorial stone as a light rain begin to set in around him. The light drizzle wetting the stone before him.

He had stolen the mission report in part to read it, but mostly because of the Hokage's death. There were elements among the village elders who were much less friendly to Naruto, and while Sasuke and Shikako had defenders of their own, there was no reason to let their mission report fall into the wrong hands. For the time being, it would be best to keep such... _sensitive_ documents to himself. For safe keeping of course.

Kakashi would return it eventually...sometime after the new Hokage had been selected. He could hardly be blamed for wanting to read about his cute little genin after all, and...well...Kakashi was _always_ late.

"And do you approve?" Kakashi asked his silent companion at last. Pakkun tilted his head in his best approximation of a shrug.

"It all worked out didn't it?" Pakkun asked, and Kakashi nodded to confirm. "And your genin made an interesting point."

"Oh?"

"Indeed. How did it go? ' _The quality of mercy is not strained. It drops as the gentle rain from heaven, upon the place beneath. It is twice blest; it blesses he that gives and he that takes...'"_

There was silence for a moment as Kakashi let the poetic lines sink in. The water falling from the sky felt like tears tracking their way down his mask.

"Mercy, huh." Kakashi mumbled, lost in thought. Pakkun didn't respond.

He didn't have to.

* * *

 **A/N** : Alright, so the hardest part is finding a way to end these things. Hopefully this one wasn't too bad. Let me know what you think!


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